


Let's Take a Howl at That Moon

by Elementhyde



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Arthur Morgan Lives, Bisexual Arthur Morgan, Bisexual Charles Smith, Bisexual Sadie Adler, F/M, Slow Burn, Werewolf Arthur Morgan, learning to live with lycanthropy, lycanthropy, maybe like molasses, the pack that hunts together stays together, werewolf charles smith, werewolf sadie adler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:49:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18340247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elementhyde/pseuds/Elementhyde
Summary: A seemingly easy bounty changes Arthur's life, and it's time for him to decide what kind of man he wants to be.





	1. It was a Dark and Stormy Night

It was dark, that was for damn sure. Arthur wished more than anything that he could be back at camp watching the rain from the comfort of his cot. But no, he had to follow up on this damn bounty. The rain had been falling since well before dawn and he was getting sick of it. It chilled to the bone when coupled with rapidly dropping temperature the higher into the Grizzlies he climbed.

“God damn, Strauss, I’m going to kill that son of a bitch so I never have to do this shit again.” He knew it was an empty threat, but he really hated this work. But Strauss knew Arthur was loyal to a fault, and he used it every time. So, for the last three days Arthur had been tracking down this debtor, the last two of those traveling through the Grizzlies. He found himself thinking about how much he missed the muggy heat of Lemoyne over the drenching cold of the Grizzlies, and chuckled to himself. Who knew he could be swayed to enjoy that kind of heat?

The sun had set over the western mountains as he reached Beartooth Beck, the cloud cover blotted out any moonlight. He hadn’t been this far north since they left Colter back in May. In the distance he spotted a campfire’s glow against the canyon walls.

“Finally! Damn goose chase.” As frustrating as this had been, Arthur had discovered over the years you get a better response from debtors with gentle menace than outright threat. Arthur approached slowly, his hands hooked in his belt.

“Howdy. You Francis Oberson?” His tone was neutral, the words hung in the air, daring the man not to answer.

“That I am, are you the man who has been following me the last couple days?” He had not yet looked up at Arthur, his eyes fixed on the fire.

“That’d be me; I’m here to collect Mr. Oberson, you got our money?” Any kindness in his voice was gone.

“I came out here to be alone.” The man’s eyes flicked up to Arthur. “You’ll get your money, but now’s not really a good time.” Arthur’s already weary patience grew thinner. It was clear that gentle menace wasn’t going to work this time. Squaring himself up he stepped closer to the fire, his hand rested on his holstered gun.

“When is it ever really a good time, my friend?” his words dripping with venom. “I just want my money, and I’ll be on my way. Let’s not make this difficult.” The man by the fire didn’t move, his eyes locked on Arthur.

“I told you, you will get your money. Just not tonight. Now go, before I do something I regret.” His voice was restrained but even, he waved Arthur off, his eyes returned to whatever he worked on over the fire.

“Now, that wasn’t an option, and I’ve been more than reasonable--” Arthur drew his revolver from its holster, “--hand over the money, or I’ll shoot you and take it. It’s your choice.” the gun arm rested loosely at his side.

He hated this part, they could never pay. It was the object of the scam, but it never gets easier and he never felt any less disgusted with himself. The man remained unmoving by the fire. Had this been any other time Arthur may have given the man another couple of days to come up with the money, but with the rain and the two days it took him to track this fellow through the mountains, he was all out of patience.  
Arthur lined the gun up on the man’s chest. “I will not ask you again, _where_ is my money?” He growled. The man flashed a smile at Arthur, one that sent a chill down his spine, a voice screamed in Arthur’s head to run. His hand faltered and that was all that was needed.

The man closed the gap between them with what seemed like impossible speed. Arthur’s reactions were a fraction of a second too slow.

The first punch hit Arthur’s shoulder, lucky to have pulled back enough to avoid the full hit to his face. Arthur raised his gun again, a searing pain jolted through his arm as the man bit down hard. The revolver clattered to the floor. Arthur snarled and ripped his arm out of the man’s mouth, he stumbled back. The man lunged forward again toward Arthur.

“Sonofabitch!” The shotgun blast blew Arthur the rest of the way off balance and he is thrown to the ground. The world was quiet - nature silenced by the blast that rang off the canyon walls. Arthur slowly gets to his feet, sawed-off still in hand, he moved to the still form by the fire. “Who bites people?!” He delivered a swift kick to the corpse before setting about looking for valuables to reclaim the debt. “Where does Strauss even find these people?” he mutters turning out Francis’ pockets.

A platinum watch, some cash, and an old emerald ring: that should cover the debts. Arthur’s eyes scanned the campsite for his revolver, the gun glints in the campfire from the grass near the clearing edge. He holstered the revolver and reloaded his shotgun, Arthur wanted nothing more than to be done with this business, but the burn in his arm reminded him that he should probably dress that before heading out.

A low whistle drew Ulysses out of the tree line. The horse was extremely agitated, giving the fire a much wider berth than the normally fearless horse would.

“Easy boy, it’s okay.” Holding his hands up reassuringly to the horse, voice soothing, “Soo brave, you done good boy!” His arm throbbed and for the first time he noticed that the bite had gone through his coat, his sleeve shined with blood in the light from the campfire.

Ulysses refused to settle, the horse reared nervously as Arthur grabbed at the reigns in an effort to lead him away from the agitation.

“C’mon boy, settle, you got this!” his voice low and reassuring, “Shhhh, shh, shh, shh let’s go, it’s alright we’ll go.”

He pulled off his coat and draped it over Ulysses back as he led him from the campsite back into the inky blackness of the night, the cold rain stung his bare skin. Arthur reached into his satchel and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He emptied it onto his wound, the burn ripped through his arm as the whiskey went to work. That would have to do for now, at least until he could get back to camp or set up near some clean water.

Arthur saddled up as they reached the tree line. Ulysses had calmed down enough that Arthur was able to get everything stowed as they started back down the mountain. His arm still throbbed beneath his coat. He was pretty sure the bleeding had stopped, but he wished he had kept some of the whiskey for the pain.

The night wore on, and sometime around midnight the rain let up just as he crossed into Little Creek. The clouds hung low and heavy, but at least for now the rain had stopped. This was as good a place as any to set up camp, and he could finally get this bite cleaned up.

The warmth of the fire felt good on his soaked bones, he hung his clothes near the fire to dry. Finally in some dry clothes he sat near the fire to get a better look at his wound. He pulled up the sleeve of his union shirt, his forearm was horribly swollen. The area around the bite was extremely red and the dried blood only emphasized that.

Arthur walked over to the stream to clean the wound out. He needed to get a better look at just how deep the bite was, impressed that the man had gotten through three layers. The cold water set his arm on fire again, he hissed as the initial burn subsided. His skin was still too hot, he clenched his jaw and scrubbed away at the wound, each pass reignited the pain. He kept his arm submerged in the flowing water, hoping to bring the temperature down. He had been bitten by more animals than he could remember, but this was different. He has never seen an infection set in this quickly before. His fingers were going numb when he finally pulled his arm from the stream, shaking off the excess water caused another shooting pain snaked up his arm.

Arthur walked back to the fire, he grabbed a blanket from Ulysses as he passed.  He began to examine the wound. The swelling had gone down a bit; the wash had removed a lot of the redness, and for that he was thankful. Maybe it wasn’t as infected as he had thought.

He tenderly moved his fingers over the the wound, the punctures seemed to be more shallow than he initially thought, another good sign. Heat radiated off the wound, it looked as though there had already been some scarring despite the wound being less than three hours old.

He reached into his satchel and pulled some salve. Charles told him it was supposed to help keep infection away and speed healing. It was sticky, but he appreciated how well it covered and sealed the wound. He would have to thank Charles for teaching him the recipe. The salve tingled as he rubbed it into the wound.

The chill in the air cut through the heat from the fire, a shiver snaked its way down Arthur’s spine. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his body, leaving his arm expose to avoid wiping off the salve.

“Time to eat and get some sleep,” he thought to himself. He had wanted to head straight back to camp after the job, but this bite had changed his plans and done nothing to improve his mood.

“I’m going to kill that weaselly Austrian fuck when I get back,” he muttered to himself.  He stared intently at the meat and beans grilling over the flames of the campfire. The sooner this night was over, the better.

  
\---

The sun was high in the sky when Arthur blinked into the glaring sunlight streaming into the tent. “Ughh…I haven’t slept that hard in a while.” He pushed himself into a sit, grabbed his hat and placed it low to block the offending light.

He felt better than he had in a while, he exited the tent into the cool morning air of the glen. He stretched his arms above his head before going to check on his clothes. He reached first for his coat, he knew the leather would take longest to dry. Still damp, but a vast improvement over what they were last night, he left it there and checked the remaining garments. Satisfied with the various levels of dryness he grabbed his socks and packed the rest of the clothes into Ulysses saddlebag. His boots were closer to the fire he set about  dressing and tearing down camp.

The ride back to camp took another half day, stopping along the way to hunt a few turkeys to bring back to camp.

He saw John before he heard him, “Well, look who it is!”

“Not now Marston.” Arthur shouted as he rode past, pulling up on Ulysses and trotting the rest of the way into camp. He dismounted and shooed the horse off to graze with the rest of them yelling to Pearson as he beelined for Strauss’ wagon.

“Pearson, Ulysses has some birds for you!”

“Great job, Mr. Morgan, we could use a few more next time you’re out.” He shouted after Arthur, who hadn’t heard a word of it.

He found Strauss sitting a little off from his wagon at a table under a tree, reviewing his ledger. Strauss looked up just in time to see Arthur slam his hands on the table, he let out a shout.

“MR. MORGAN!!”

“Strauss, you bastard! Where do you find these debtors?” Arthur threw the contents of Mr. Oberson’s pocket onto the table.“You know this one? He fucking bit me, Mr. Strauss. HE. BIT. ME.” Each word punctuated with murderous intent. His arm throbbed from the adrenaline, Arthur saw the frightened man glance down to the blood-stained arm of his coat.

Strauss’ eyes were wide, “H-he bit you? Why would he bite you?”

“I do not know, _maybe_ because he was crazy?” the sarcasm heavily implied with an exaggerated wave of his arm. “I ain’t doing this anymore, Mr. Strauss. This was the last time, find another attack dog!”

Arthur held his stare on the terrified man as he rose and slunk away sputtering an apologetic excuse for needing to leave. He pushed off the table as Strauss disappeared around the side of a wagon. The fire in his gut not yet satisfied he turned and stalked off toward Dutch’s tent. Dutch always had an excuse for why they couldn’t kick out Strauss, but enough was enough.

“Dutch! You in there? We need to talk.” he shouted as he crossed the camp, there was no answer. Instead a voice from near the campfire called out.

“He went to town with Micah, said they had a lead to look into. They ain’t been gone more than 45 minutes.”

“Thanks Lenny!” Arthur shouted back to the young man at the fire, “of course the one time he isn’t in camp.” His stomach growled loudly and he sighed, speaking with Dutch would have to wait. He changed his trajectory making his way toward the stew pot hanging  over the fire nearby. Near the fire stood a couple of the others enjoying some coffee and company. Arthur greeted them as he grabbed a bowl of stew and his own cup of coffee, he was in no mood for company so he stood and took his meal to his tent.

He sighed as he sat down heavily. Anger still bubbled in the back of his mind, still annoyed at the whole trip, the bandages on his arm only served to bring the anger back to the front of his mind. So preoccupied with his thoughts he hadn’t heard the soft footsteps of someone coming toward him.

“Arthur-- Arthur, are you okay?” Hosea’s voice carried through the tent, the older man continued to move into the light from the tent, stopping just inside the threshold of the tent. He crossed his arms over his chest as he waiting for the younger man to respond.

“Hosea.” Arthur growled tiredly. “I’m fine, just not a great time.” He glanced up at Hosea, who showed no sign of leaving Arthur to peace.

“What happened to your arm, son?” Hosea had moved closer, trying to get a better look at the bandages.

“One of Strauss’ fucking debtors bit me.” Arthur had put down his stew and watch absently rubbed his arm, the pain was dull now. “I don’t much want to talk about it right now.”

Hosea’s face contorted with confusion as he tried to comprehend what Arthur just said. Looking back at Arthur’s sour expression he attempted to lighten the mood.

“Strauss accepting debt agreements from wildlife now? Arthur’s eyes narrowed, souring his expression more. “Why did you let him bite you? You know you can’t let people get that close--”

“YOU THINK I AM THAT DUMB?” Arthur snarled, he was on his feet and in Hosea’s face in an instant.

“Whoa now, I was just poking fun. I didn’t think you were serious.” Hosea’s hand pressed firmly into Arthur’s shoulder, who relented under the man’s touch. Arthur’s voice was quiet but the growl of anger was still there.

“Why would I joke about something like that?” His hand found the bandages on his arm. “I’m a shit liar, but hopefully I’m not _that_ bad.”

“Well, you aren’t lying about being a shit liar.” A smile pulled at Hosea’s mouth as his eyes met Arthur’s. “What happened? It seemed a simple enough collection.” He patted Arthur’s shoulder, moving past him to sit on the cot.

Arthur turned back to face Hosea, the frustration of the whole trip bubbling back as he started his story.


	2. Full Moon Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a strange couple of days, but Arthur is determined to get things back to normal. He takes Charles with him on a hunting trip.

Hosea whistled as Arthur finished his story, standing up from the cot, he turned toward Arthur directing his eyes down to his arm. Arthur’s eyes followed his, putting his hand over the bandages.

 

“How bad is it?” The concern was evident in his voice, but a smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Are we gonna have to amputate?” Arthur rubbed his arm, forcing himself to chuckle. 

 

“It doesn’t hurt nearly as badly as it did last night. The heat is gone, and the burning too. I ain’t ever had a wound that felt like that ‘less it was infected, but today, feels like I didn’t get bit at all.” 

 

Arthur began pulling the bandages back, the dried salve ripping his arm hairs made him suck air through his teeth. His brow furrowed, the used dressing fell to the floor, he stood, crossing the tent to clean the wound. 

 

“What the fuck.” He whispered, Hosea turned to face Arthur again.

 

“Something wrong?” Hosea’s eye again fell to Arthur’s arm, concern spreading across his face.

 

“This happened last night, it just don’t make sense!” he spun around to face Hosea, his arm out toward the man. The new pink skin shone in the lantern light, the outline of the bite standing out against the weathered skin around it.

 

Hosea moved closer, lightly grabbing Arthur’s arm, he leaned in closer to inspect the wound. The angry pink skin proved the bite had happened, but not last night. Hosea ran his thumb over the new skin, feeling how it was raised against the surrounding skin, he looked up back to Arthur his brow knit together in confusion. 

 

“Last night? You’re sure it didn’t take longer to get back here?” Arthur shook his head, he pulled his arm back from the other man.

 

“No, it was about this time last night when I caught up with Mr. Oberson up in the West Grizzlies. I picked up a stagecoach tip in Strawberry before I set out on the bounty.” He reached into his satchel, pulled out his journal and thumbed through the pages, pulling a small scrap of paper from between a couple pages; he handed it to Hosea.

 

 

**“S T A G E C O A C H   D U E   I N B O U N D   F R O M**

**B L A C K W A T E R,   H E A V I L Y   G U A R D E D.**

**D U E   T O   C R O S S   T H E   U P P E R  M O N T A N A**

**R I V E R   S W   O F   S T R A W B E R R Y   J U S T**

**P A S T   N O O N   O N   T H U R S D A Y  T H E   1 1 T H.”**

 

 

Hosea rubbed his forehead, the note confirmed that Arthur had been in Strawberry on the eleventh, the robbery making its way to the paper in Valentine. Hosea had caught that story the other morning when he was casing the town for work.

 

“Couple hundred dollars, hope the camp got it’s cut.” He winked at Arthur and smiled. “Don’t worry, I believe you. Just try and put it out of your head, you’re alive and all you have to show is some cash and a new scar. Get some sleep, everything will be back to normal in the morning.” Hosea pat Arthur on the shoulder as he passed. ‘I’m glad you’re safe, son.” 

 

Arthur’s focus remained on the bright pink bite mark, he issued a grunt of confirmation as the older man removed his hand from his shoulder. Arthur’s thumb traced over the bite mark, he pulled down his sleeve, covering the bite and crossed back over to his cot. He sat down, cradling his head in his hands. Hosea was right, it had been a long couple of days, reaching over he grabbed the pack of cigarettes sitting on the table.

 

Arthur lit the cigarette, leaning back onto his cot, his head cradled in his arm, he inhaled slowly. The sound of Javier’s guitar and Karen’s singing drifted to his tent. The high from the nicotine hit him like a train, the tension suddenly dissolving from his body. Karen’s voice lulled him closer and closer to sleep. Taking one final drag from the cigarette he dropped his arm off the side of the cot, pushing the butt into the ground extinguishing it, leaving it in the wet grass.

 

He awoke well before dawn, the growl of his stomach ripping him out of his slumber. He sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, he stretched his arm across his chest, cracking his neck as he pushed into the stretch. He felt the seams of his shirt pop at the shoulder, he sighed and stood up.

 

“Of course.” He bent over, pulling a new shirt from the chest at the base of the bed. He quickly changed and walked toward the stew pot hanging near the center of camp. The camp was quiet, only Uncle sat near the fire, drunkenly singing to himself as Arthur walked over to the pot. He grabbed a bowl of stew and a cup of coffee, electing to go sit with Uncle, he was always a good time when he was like this.

 

Uncle plucked the banjo strings, humming to himself in a drunken stupor, he opened his eyes as heavy footsteps approached.

 

“Look who it is,” his tone sing-songy and mocking, “Mr. Morgan!”

 

“Well, look at you!” Arthur smiled as he sat down to eat. The old man swayed as he strummed the banjo. “You feelin’ good old man?” He eagerly ate the stew, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been this hungry.

 

“Never better, Arthur, never better!” Uncle tipped a bottle to his lips and chuckled. He pushed himself up from the barrel he was leaning against. “Slow down there big guy, it ain’t goin’ anywhere!” He laughed, stumbling away.

 

“Shut up, ya old drunk.” Arthur waves him away finishing up his stew, he put his cup near the fire and got up to drop his dish off to be washed. 

 

He returned to the fire and sat back down, reveling in the silence of the camp. He picked up his coffee bringing it close to his nose closing his eye as the heat warmed his nose in the chilled morning air. He heard the soft footprints and slowly opened his eyes to see Charles returning to the camp from guard duty.

 

“Everything alright, big man?” Arthur took a swig from his coffee mug looking toward Charles as he approached the fire.

 

“Morning, Arthur. It’s all quiet out there.” Charles held up a couple rabbits he had in his hand. “Managed to snag these guys.” He walked past the fire and strung the rabbits up on the rack for Pearson. “You’re up early this morning, everything okay with you?” He called over his shoulder while he rinsed his hands in the water basin.

 

“Always working aren’t ya?” Arthur chuckled as the other man returned to the campfire. “Sure, just gettin’ an early start. Was gonna go huntin’ later, care to join me? We’re gonna need a bit more than that now that Sean’s back.”

 

“I don’t know where that kid puts it all. All he does is eat and sleep.” Charles shook his head and sat down across the fire from Arthur.

 

“I remember those days.” Arthur smiled wistfully, “Can’t eat like that no more.”  He clapped a hand to his stomach.

 

“You trying to convince yourself you don’t eat like a horse?” Charles joked.

 

“Pot calling the kettle, my friend.” Arthur shot back. Charles chuckled leaning forward to warm his hands over the fire.

 

“I never said I didn’t eat my fair share,” he sat back before pushing himself to his feet, “in fact, I’m gonna go grab some stew, want any?” Arthur ignored his stomach as it growled in response.

 

“Nah, already ate. Plus, I should really start on those chores. I’ll catch you later to go huntin’.” Charles gave him a wave as he walked off toward the stew pot before calling out.

 

“It’s okay to rest Arthur!”  Ignoring Charles he pushed himself up from the stool, stretching his arms above his head before heading off toward the chicken coop. Arthur lifted the hatch to check for eggs, he carefully gathering the eggs in his shirt.

 

“Thank you for your service, ladies.” He closed the hatch and turned around.

 

“You always talk to the animals, Mr. Morgan?” Sadie stood in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk plastered across her face. Arthur felt his ears flush. “I hear you talkin’ to yer horse too, it’s real sweet of ya.” Arthur's free hand rubbed the back of his neck, he sighed.

 

“It ain’t like that. Sometimes you just gotta show them some appreciation.” He smiled nervously down at her, this is the most she had said to him since that night they found her. Not for lack of trying mind you, he had attempted a number of times. Her answers had been anywhere from non-existent to white hot with anger, he couldn’t blame her, what she had gone through? She had right to be a bit out of it.

 

“You’re more than you appear Mr. Morgan.” Sadie smiled at him again and turned back toward the camp. Arthur felt his face heat up as he watched her walk away.  He brought the eggs over to Pearson’s wagon, setting them in a small basket near the cutting station. 

 

He continued to help with work around the camp, the sun had risen and everyone had started to move around, he grunted out greetings to those around camp. Noticing that Strauss had given him a wide berth. 

 

_ Good riddance, fucking weasel  _  he thought to himself. It had been a while since he had spent a day at camp. Ever since Blackwater it seemed as if he was always running errands for Dutch or Strauss, it was nice to take a day to catch up with people. 

 

The sun was overhead as he finished up the camp chores, he looked around for Charles, finding him near the scout fire on the outskirts of the camp.

 

“Charles! You ready to go huntin’?” Arthur’s voice carried across the camp, he head toward his horse. He checked his tack, giving Ulysses a pat before giving him a sugar cube. Charles lead Taima toward Arthur.

 

“Where we heading?” Charles checked his bow, pulling out his arrows to check them before packing everything into Taima's saddlebags and securing the bow to the saddle.

 

“I was going to see about heading up toward Big Valley, there is some bigger game that way.” Arthur looked over his shoulder, Javier sat near the fire tuning his guitar, Arthur called to him. “Javier! Me and Charles are going huntin’. We'll be back in a couple days. Case anyone asks.” 

 

“Sounds good, amigo.” Javier nodded, keeping his attention on the guitar. Arthur turned back to Ulysses and stepped into the stirrup.

 

“Let’s head out!” He turned Ulysses and trotted toward the treeline, Taima in pursuit. “It’s been a while since we went huntin’ together. It’s been a crazy couple weeks, ain’t it?”

 

“Yeah, I was getting worried for some of the gang while we were up in the mountains. Everyone was getting a bit antsy being forced to stay indoors so close together. I stopped my fair share of fights between Bill and Micah, I’m sure you noticed.” Charles pulled up beside Arthur as they got out of the trees and onto the road.

 

“Micah. He’s always seems to be at the center of all our issues, doesn’t he? I don’t trust that rat bastard. Blackwater was his idea, weren’t it? You were there, what happened exactly?” Arthur gestured for Charles to head left at the fork ahead.

 

“Lenny and I were watching the doors, when the commotion started we moved inside. It was a tense stand-off, Dutch shouting the order to empty the safe and no one got hurt. Everything seemed normal. Micah took Bill to empty the safe, John was on watch outside the door leading to the safe. Then there were Pinkertons everywhere. Arthur, Dutch shot that girl, she screamed and he fired. It was bad. How we got as many as we did out alive? That might well have been the last of our luck. Sure seems like it, don’t it?”

 

Arthur was looking at Charles, his expression stony, a rage grew in his gut. Javier’s words echoed in his mind  _ “Dutch killed a girl, in a bad way. But it was a bad situation!” _

 

“I told Dutch that job wasn’t right. Hosea and I had a scam that would have paid off plenty. It was reckless, got too many people killed for no damn reason.” Arthur turned his attention back to the road, his eyes hard, his jaw set. They rode in silence for a while, each of them lost in the memories of the recent weeks.

 

They crossed the Dakota in silence as the sun began to set. Charles pulled up on Taima’s reigns, turning her off the path.

 

“We should rest here for the evening, get the horses some water. We can set the tents up against the ridge, easy to protect.” Arthur circled Ulysses back towards Charles.

 

“Sure, I’ll get us some firewood.” He dismounted from Ulysses grabbed his gear and dropped it on the ground near Taima. The horse trotted away to a particularly green patch of grass near the river. Charles pulled his tent and bedroll from his horse, sending her off to join Ulysses.

 

Charles had gotten the tents set up when Arthur returned with the wood for the fire. The fire crackled, belching smoke into the evening sky as the kindling worked to ignite the logs. Arthur stood back from the fire, grabbed his bedroll from where he dropped it earlier and tossed it into his tent.

 

“You didn’t have to set that up for me.” He turned to Charles, motioning to the tent.

 

“Wasn’t a problem, you were getting the fire started, seemed only fair.” Charles shrugged, he pulled some dried meat from his satchel, sitting down near the fire. Arthur joined him by the fire.

 

“Sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to get so upset before. It ain’t like we can change anything.” Arthur pulled a can of beans from his satchel, placing it near the fire. He stared into the fire, he had been in a rotten mood the last couple days.

 

“You’ve had a rough couple weeks, everyone is on edge, I won’t take it to heart.” 

 

“I know, but it still makes me feel like an asshole. It wasn’t right of me.” He poked at the can of beans, deciding they were warm enough he opened the can. Charles hummed an acknowledgement.

 

“We can reach Big Valley by mid-morning if we leave when the sun rises. It’ll give us the most sunlight.” Charles leaned back against a nearby rock his arms across his chest as he waited for Arthur’s response. Arthur finished his meal, he leaned back on his arms he looked up into the evening sky.

 

“That’s a fine idea, then we can rest for the evening and head back tomorrow morning.” The stars sparkled in the sky, the peace of the evening settling over them. Charles grunts as he slowly stands and stretches.  

 

“We should get some sleep then, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Charles turned away from the fire and disappeared into his tent leaving Arthur by the fire. Alone with this thoughts of Blackwater, Arthur tried to piece together what had actually happened on the ferry. 

 

Javier and Charles stories had matched up, each of them saying the Pinkertons had just appeared, what was Dutch thinking, going after a haul he couldn’t canvas ahead of time. Micah had convinced him it was going to be easy, no doubt. Arthur had been too caught up in the scam he was working with Hosea. 

 

_Would he have been able to change things if he had put his foot down? Would Dutch have listened? Was this his fault?_ _He was supposed to be Dutch’s right hand, he had told Dutch it was a bad idea, that he was too busy with the real estate scam, but he never pressed him to give it up. He should have tried harder._ Arthur leaned forward, cradling his head in his hands again. 

 

_ Mac, Davey, Jenny they would still be around if he had just stood up to Dutch. _

 

The fire popped, bringing Arthur back to the present. He let out a sigh, the fire had started to fade. The moon crested over the ridge on the far side of the river, casting moonlight across the water. He rose from the fireside, grabbed a couple branches from the pile he had collected earlier and tossed them onto the fire.  _ That should be enough to keep the animals away until dawn. _

 

The moon rose higher into the sky, Arthur’s sleep was restless. His dreams were fractured, images coupled with the every present feeling of a hunter’s eyes on him. Running through the woods, the smell of the earth filled his mind, he felt the feral instinct in him. He was tracking, hunting for something, the need to feed growing within him. It consumed him. Another flash, blood, heat, tearing flesh. He felt sated, the need fulfilled, running wild. 

 

He awoke his head pounding and drenched in sweat. He sat up in the dark tent, pushing out of the tent and into the light of the fire. His hands were sticky against the flap of the tent, he held them toward the fire, the slick blood shown bright in the light.

 

Arthur spun around, tearing open the tent flap, the light spilled inside from the fire, no bloody mess awaited him. His clothes in a pile in the corner, his boots still sitting where he kicked them off. He looked down, his chest was covered in blood, his arms to his elbows stained red. He ran to Charles's tent, panic consuming him, he ripped the flap open, inside Charles slept peacefully. Arthur’s heart fluttered, a surge of relief consuming him, he exhaled and closed the flap to the tent.

 

He turned back to the fire, scanning the campsite for anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t see any blood, there were a couple of tracks in the grass, but nothing seemed out of place. He ran his hands through his hair, the blood streaking through the blonde. He felt his chest tighten, what was happening? This was too much blood for there to be no trace. 

 

He ripped open his union suit, checking his chest and arms for cuts, nothing. He turned and stalked down to the river, pulling down his union suit, cinching it around his waist. He scrubbed his face, arms, and chest to get the blood off. His mind was reeling, trying to piece together anything that could make sense in this moment, reviewing everything from last night.

 

_ He had stayed up, his mind was troubled by the events of the Blackwater heist. He got up when the moon crested over the ridge and had gone to bed, the next thing he recalled was waking up sweaty and covered in blood. He recalled his dreams, they had been bloody and vivid.  _

 

Arthur splashed water into his face and hair one last time. He swept his hair back, the cold water dripped down his back and stood up. He walked back to the camp, there had to be a clue. Another sweep of his tent had found nothing, just a small amount of blood on his bedroll. He changed his clothes, discarding the soiled union suit and packing his gear back into this satchel. 

 

He exited his tent, and went to investigate the tracks he had seen earlier. He pulled out his journal, sketching them onto a blank page. They weren’t familiar to him, they looked like a wolf, but they were different in a way he couldn’t place. He sat back on his haunches, surveying the rest of camp for other tracks or disturbances, again coming up empty.

 

The moon hung low in the sky, Charles would be up soon. Arthur stood and crossed to the fire he pulled his percolator from his satchel, loading it he placed it near the fire. He sat down and pulled his journal back out, the sketch of the footprint stared back at him. His mind drifted back to the dream, so violent, so feral and raw. He drew out the images from the dream, jotting a few notes here and there, his handwriting becoming more and more erratic. 

 

_ It had felt so real, there was blood there too. Did I do something? Did I kill someone?  _ Anxiety gripped him, he looked down at his hands, dropping the pencil into the journal’s binding.  _ What have I done! _

 

He pulled his knees to his chest, trying to control his breathing, he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to calm himself.  _ There is no way you could have done anything, you were asleep! _

 

Charles emerged from his tent, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Arthur drops his hands letting his legs unfurl, trying to push his anxiety away. Charles looks down at Arthur, concern spreads across his face.

 

“What’s wrong, are you okay?” Arthur forces himself to respond, his voice cracking.

 

“It’s nothin’, I’ll be fine.” Arthur didn’t look up, his stare trained on his journal in his lap. The images from his dream stared back, he closed the journal.

 

“Arthur.” Charles crossed the campfire sitting down next to him by the fire. “You don’t have to keep everything bottled up, what is going on? You’ve been on edge since you came back from the bounty the other day.” He placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

 

“I-I don’t know.” Arthur looked over at Charles. “I mean, I got bitten by that debtor. It was a bad bite, I felt the infection, my arm was on fire. That was two days ago, and the damn thing is already healed up!” His hand moving to cover where the bite was on his arm, Charles eyes followed his hand.

 

“What do you mean it’s already healed?” Charles expression hardens, his focus still on Arthur’s arm.

 

“I mean, its healed. Look!” He pulled back his sleeve revealing the faded pink scar. “I put some of that salve you gave me on it. That’s all I could think would have sped the healin’.” Charles leaned closer to examine the bite, his expression controlled.

 

“It does speed healing, but not like this.”  Charles felt Arthur stiffen next to him, he reached out grabbing his arm and pulling it closer to the fire to examine further.   
  


“Fuck.” Arthur’s shoulders slumped. “You ever seen anything like this?” He watched the other man as he examined his arm. Charles released his arm and sat back.

 

“No, but maybe it was the adrenaline. You feel fine?” Charles expression unchanging.

 

“I feel great! Better than I have in a long time, ‘til this morning.” Arthur’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I had a really strange dream last night. I know that isn’t all that odd, but it felt so real, like I was looking through someone else’s eyes,  _ something’s _ eyes. The visions were violent and bloody, but I remember the feeling of being completely satisfied.”

 

“Everyone has nightmares, you’ve just had a rough couple of days. I’m sure it’s no-”

 

“I woke up covered in blood!” His voice was frantic, Arthur’s eyes wide as he looked at Charles. Charles recoiled slightly, his eyes wide.

 

“Blood? How?” Charles stood up, crossing over to Arthur’s tent, throwing open the flap and looking inside. The overwhelming smell of wet dog filled the tent, the only blood Charles saw was the soiled union suit discarded on the floor. The remainder of the tent was neat, everything packed to travel. He grabbed the union suit, holding it up, examining the blood in the firelight. Charles turned back to Arthur. “This is a lot of blood, you sure you aren’t wounded?”

 

“No, I checked.” Arthur held his head in his hands. “It doesn’t make sense! There isn’t any other blood, the only other thing I found were these tracks.” He pulled out his journal, flipping to the page with the prints. “I haven’t seen anything like these before.” He held out the journal for Charles.

 

The sky had begun to brighten as the morning sun crested the horizon. The sunrise cast a dull pink light on the pages, Charles took the journal looking at the sketch on the page.

 

“Where’d you find these?” Charles knew these prints, this solidified it. He looked up at Arthur who gestured toward the treeline nearest Arthur’s tent before returning his head to his hands. 

 

Charles exhaled, stepping toward the fire he pulled a cup from his satchel, placing Arthur’s journal on the ground he moved to pour some coffee from the percolator. He rose, crossing to Arthur, he pushed the cup gently against his shoulder.

 

“Here, relax. We will figure this out. You’ve been under some stress. I’ve heard of folks having conversations with people while sleeping, not recalling anything when they wake. Maybe you hunt?” Arthur grabbed the mug and looked up at Charles who gave a slight smile and turned to go examine the prints. Arthur sighed heavily.

 

“So now we are goin’ with, sleep hunting?” He shook his head and chuckled incredulously. “Seems a bit far-fetched to me.” He took a swig from the cup he looked over at Charles, still crouched over the tracks. “What the hell is going on?” 

 

Despite everything, talking to Charles had calmed him. Sure he was still confused as hell as to what was going on, but telling Charles had helped. Knowing that someone else was seeing what he saw, that maybe there was an answer. Charles had been way more calm than Arthur had, bringing him back down. His tone had been even and soothing, chipping away at the anxiety that had built up in Arthur.

 

Charles stood, Arthur looked toward him expectantly. Returning to the fire he picks up the journal, handing it back to Arthur. Charles expression was neutral, thinking over his options. He was very familiar with what happened, but how was he going to explain that, not only were werewolves real and not just some folklore you told kids to scare them, but that Arthur was now one. It had been a long time since he had seen another werewolf, not since he was a child, but this was far too similar to be a coincidence. Charles looked back at Arthur, forcing a small smile.

 

“I ain’t too sure, but we will figure it out. You’re safe for now. Let’s just get some food, we can try and piece it together while we eat. I won’t throw out that sleepwalking theory just yet. You got your rod with you?” He held out a hand for Arthur.


	3. The Darkest Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth has been eating at Charles, it's time he got something off his chest.
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for the delay guys, rough schedule at work as we come into season, I will try and update as often as I can, but I can't guarantee a posting schedule.

Arthur woke to the sound of Hosea angrily shouting across the camp. The sun sat low on the horizon, the light filtering through the trees into the camp. It had been two weeks since the hunting trip, and everything had pretty much returned to normal. There hadn’t been any more of the feral dreams, life around camp had finally started to settle down a little. Arthur was feeling better than he had in a while. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as he ambled out of his tent, running directly into Sean, who seemed to be the source of Hosea’s shouts.

“Whoa there big man. Yer gunna hurt someone trowin’ yer weight around like that!” Sean chuckled, stumbling back. Arthur grunted, looking down at the Irishman.  
  


“ _Shut up_ , kid. What’d you do t’get Hosea so fired up?” He crossed his arms over his chest, blocking Sean’s path and making himself look bigger. Sean threw his hands up defensively.  
  


“I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout, English.” He attempted to side-step Arthur, who matched his movements. “Really now! I was jus’ on my way ta get some coffee.” He exclaimed, side-stepping Arthur again and taking off toward the campfire.  
  


“You best be gettin’ to work straight after!” He shouted after the young man as he walked toward Hosea. “What’d he do this time?” Arthur hooked his hands into his belt as he stopped by the table where the older man sat.  
  


“Found the bastard sleeping while on guard duty. That little shit could have gotten the whole camp killed!” Hosea slammed his fist on the table.”Next time, I swear to it Arthur, I’m gonna shoot him!” He sighed heavily and looked up at Arthur.  
  


“Ya’ll told me to follow Trelawny’s lead, that you _wanted_ him back.” Arthur looked down smugly, rolling his weight to one side.  
  


“So you’re to blame if we all die then.” Hosea’s tone was biting, he narrowed his eyes. Arthur smirked, Hosea turned his attention to the newspaper on the table.  
  


“Oh, he ain’t that bad. He’s good at sniffin’ out leads!” He waved his hand dismissively at Hosea. “He’s a kid, he ain’t no worse than Johnny!”  
  


“He reminds me more of you at that age. Always had something to prove. Just as annoying too, now that I think of it.” Hosea attention was fixed on the paper. Arthur huffed.  
  


“Very funny.” Arthur deadpanned. ”Anything you need doin’ old man?” He placed a hand on his hip, his other pulling his mug from his satchel.  
  


“Nothing right now, got a few leads that I have feelers out on near Emerald Ranch.” Hosea returned his full attention to the paper.  
  


“Well let me know if you need help with anything.” He walked toward the campfire, grabbing a cup of coffee and settling down by the fire. Charles approached Arthur, taking a seat next to him.  
  


“Hey, how is it going?” Arthur nodded toward Charles as he took a sip of his coffee. He knew what Charles was really asking, but around camp he knew Arthur preferred to be discreet about personal matters.  
  


“I’m good, best I’ve felt in a while.” He lifted the cup to his lips again, glancing over at Charles, the man clearly had more to say.  
  


“I think we should talk a bit more about the hunting trip. Take a ride with me?” Arthur drained the rest of his cup, he stood and put the cup back in his satchel.  
  


“Sure, we goin’ anywhere particular?” He turned and held out a hand for Charles. Accepting his hand he pulled Charles to a stand, Arthur clapping a hand onto his shoulder before turning to walk toward Ulysses and the other horses. Charles followed toward the horses, he thought for a moment before answering.  
  


“I thought we could head over to Eris Field, I heard a man talk about a white fox in the area. I wanted to check it out.” Charles swung his leg over Taima’s back, giving her a good scratch on the neck. “It isn’t often you get to see such a rare animal.”  
  


“We huntin’? Arthur mounted up onto his horse, raising an eyebrow as he looked toward Charles. It wasn’t like him to want to hunt animals for no reason.  
  


“I didn’t say that. Dutch asked me to scout the area, seemed as good a place as any to talk. But I won’t pass up the chance to see such a majestic creature if it graces us with its presence.” He clicked his tongue and spurred Taima gently, turning her out of camp, Arthur in tow. They rode in comfortable silence for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Charles worried his lip knowing the conversation he had to have wasn’t going to be easy. Arthur broke the silence.  
  


“Have you seen that crazy rock, looks like a face down that way?” Charles turned to see Arthur pulling out his journal. Charles chuckled, Arthur seemed to be in a much better place the last few weeks. He probably felt great, he had put on some weight, and his appetite was voracious. Arthur never had trouble being intimidating, but now he was downright terrifying.  
  


Charles was sure now, Arthur had all the telltale traits of a fresh wolf, he worried in the back of his mind how Arthur was going to react. It had been a deciding factor in wanting to talk to Arthur away from camp. No matter how stoic Arthur seemed around camp, he had been on guard duty on that evening when he lost his temper on Dutch. Better safe than sorry he thought. Arthur held the journal up and Charles pulled back on Taima’s reigns to slow her to trot, Arthur matching pace. He took the journal from Arthur to get a better look.  
  


“I see now why they call it Face Rock. Never seen it from this angle before. Always assumed it was because it faced the lake.” He closed the journal, handing it back to Arthur.  
  


He remembered the first time Arthur had shown him his drawings, he was just as matter of fact about it then. It wasn’t until later, when Javier told him that Arthur never let people look in his journal, that he realized how close he and Arthur had become. There wasn’t another man in camp he trusted more than Arthur, he hadn’t met a more capable man in any situation.  
  


Charles mind briefly considered how suspect it sounded to ‘need to talk’. His cheeks flushed with heat, he turned to face the road again. _CRAP! Does he think I asked him out here to ask him out? Come to think of it, did Arthur even like guys? Is he just being polite, not wanting to hurt my feelings? I don’t have time for this!_  He attempted to push the thoughts from his head. _C’mon this is Arthur, he is straightforward to a_ **_fault_ ** _._ If he suspected anything he would mention it.  
  


“Let’s pull off up here, I can show you where ya can see the face.” Arthur’s face lit up as he pulled Ulysses off the rode and up the hill. Charles followed him up the hill, urging Taima to catch up. Arthur had jumped off Ulysses back, skidding slightly as the horse continued down to the meadow below the rock. “Here, if ya look up from here it looks like a face.” Charles sighed to himself as he joined Arthur, this was the best mood he had ever seen Arthur in  
  


“Arthur.” Charles felt awful, knowing he was about to spoil this for Arthur. “What I wanted to talk to you about, what you told me up during our trip to Big Valley. I know what that was.” Arthur’s smile dropped a little, his voice hesitant.  
  


“Oh yeah?” His eyes searched Charles face, looking for a hint. “Am I dyin’?” He joked.  
  


“No, nothing like that. Uhh.” Charles paused, thinking of how to bring up what was happening and not sound like a joke. “When I was a kid my mom used to tell stories about wolves who walked as man.” Charles eyes looked back up to Arthur’s face, he wanted to make sure he heard and understood. “You think, ‘they were just stories to scare kids, werewolves aren’t real, right?’ But as I got older I…” Charles pauses, choosing his words carefully, “...saw things I couldn’t quite explain and my thoughts changed.” Arthur cleared his throat.  
  


“You tellin’ me that werewolves are real? Right. Next yer gonna tell me I’m a werewolf!” He waved his arm dismissively. Charles looked away, letting Arthur’s question hang in the air. Arthur head snapped back to Charles. “No. -- Werewolves ain’t real!” Charles opened his mouth to interject but Arthur cut him off. “I’m...I’m a werewolf?” His tone filled with fear and confusion. Charles reached out, grabbing Arthur’s shoulder.  
  


“I really did everything I could to make sure first before I came to you.” Charles felt him tense, realizing for the first time just how much bigger Arthur had gotten, his nerves started to creep in. “You feel any different?” He tried to keep Arthur talking, Arthur’s gaze dropped to the floor.  
  


“I knew it was too good to be true.” He sighed. “I’ve put on a lot of weight, I thought it was just finally getting comfortable in camp, we’ve been lying low so I’ve been around more. Figured it was the sittin’ around.” His shoulders dropped, he looked up at Charles. “I was ignoring the signs, I was hungry all the time, it woke me up most nights. I’ve ripped 3 shirts, one time just sitting up!” The floodgates opened.  
  


“The other night we was all drinking around the campfire and Bill challenged me to arm wrestle. Javier and John was takin’ bets on if I’d accept. John said Bill would surely win, seein’ as he had a good 30 pound on me. Alcohol got the best of me.” Arthur exhaled heavily. “ I just felt like I had to prove that greasy little shit wrong. So I accepted.” He threw his free arm up in exasperation, before resting it on the back of his neck, his eyes met Charles’s. “I damn near broke Bill’s arm! I-I thought it was ‘cuz I was so riled up by what Marston said!” his hand rubbed his neck nervously. “Ain’t nothing ever shut him up that quick though!” he looked back up at Charles.  
  


Charles huffed out a laugh, Arthur’s lips twitched into a slight smile. Charles was relieved to see Arthur smile.  
  


“Wait, how’d you know what to look for? What’d your mother used to say about the wolf bit? Was that what that dream was? Was I seeing the wolf side?” The questions poured out of Arthur, his anxiety building in his chest. “Oh god! What if I kill someone while I’m a wolf?” He frantically searched Charles’s eyes for an answer. Charles moved closer to Arthur urging him to settle.  
  


“Arthur, slow down, breathe!” Charles voice was soft and reassuring. “It’s going to be okay. The-the wolf is just another part of you. You’re still you. What you saw was the wolf, yes.” He spoke slowly, pausing enough for Arthur to take in each of his statements. Arthur’s breathing had slowed, but he was still visibly distraught  
  


“Another part a me, so it’s on me if he kills someone.” Arthur closed his eyes. “That dream I had, I fed Charles, I killed.” Charles stepped forward and pulled Arthur into a hug.  
  


“You have to see it as a being that only understands the most basic needs. But considering you didn’t hurt me, I think it’s safe to assume you had some control over it being an animal.” Arthur stood motionless for a moment before relaxing.  
  


“So control is possible?” Charles hummed an affirmation, releasing Arthur from the hug and stepping back. Arthur continued, his voice colder.  
  


“You still ain’t answered me on why you know so much about this.” Arthur’s eyes were dark, did he figure it out? Of course he did, man was way smarter than he let on. Charles remained silent for a moment, watching Arthur, he exhaled slowly.  
  


“I knew you would figure it out, but I had hoped that it could have been under different circumstances.” Charles look at Arthur, his shoulders were tense and his expression unchanged. He knew that if Arthur took a swing at him he was going to have trouble stopping him.  
  


“You can control your wolf side you know. Look at me, you’re the only one who knows beyond my pa, and who is going to believe an old drunk?”  
  


Arthur softened slightly. _How long had Charles been a wolf?_ He had left his dad when he was barely a teen, if that were true then Charles had been a wolf for more than two thirds his life. Arthur stared at Charles, he stood stiffly, unsure of how Arthur would react. The realization that Charles had been worried about him weighed on Arthur.  
  


“I ain’t mad at you, I just... there’s so much. Finding out that werewolves are real is a lot to take in.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Finding out you’re one and so is one of your best friends? That’s damn near impossible to take in.” Charles’s chest tightened as Arthur called him a best friend, the feeling of guilt settled in his gut.  
  


_Why hadn’t he just been up front with him back in Big Valley?_ He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.  
  


“At least you have me to help you.” Charles gave a smile smile to Arthur. “Together we can manage. Afterall, I know a bit about werewolves.”  Arthur nodded to Charles, a smile flashed across his face before the mask of concern returned.  
  


“So...I guess first, how does this all work?” Arthur’s expression turned to one of exasperation, stepping back and putting his hands on his hips. He shook his head, sighing lightly before looking back to Charles. “I’m sorry, this is all just so…”  
  


“It’s fine, it’s a lot. I was a child when I found out. I imagine being an adult would be harder. My mother made it into a kind of game we’d play to teach me control.” Arthur’s expression softened.  
  


_So it’s been longer…._   
  


“Charles, how long have you been a werewolf, if you don’t mind me askin’?” Arthur’s eyes watched Charles carefully, genuine curiosity getting the best of him.  
  


“I was born one, or so my mother said. She used to say that our family communed with wolves.” Charles moved to sit on a nearby felled tree. “She told me stories of wolves a lot when I was a kid. Around the time I was six or seven she told me about our family being wolves. It was then all the stories of wolves began to make sense, she was telling me our family history.” He motioned for Arthur to join him.  
  


“The wolf is no different than any other dog, they need an alpha, if there isn’t one they will step up.” Charles looked to Arthur sitting next to him, his eyes watched Charles intently, taking everything in. “It’s not an easy thing, there will always be the struggle between you and the wolf. But as long as you remain the alpha you have control.”  
  


Arthur stiffened, he never had trouble taking charge in the gang, but would it be as easy to manage a wolf? He never really got the hang of training Copper, Hosea used to scream at him all the time to get the dog under control. He just didn’t have the heart to scold him. _How was he ever gonna manage a wolf?!_ Charles continued as Arthur’s anxiety began to build.  
  


“The times when it will be hardest to control the wolf are tied to the moon, both the full and new moon are the times when you have the least control. It would be wise to distance yourself from others during these times, especially at first.”  
  


“Wait, I ain’t ever heard of a werewolf changin’ on the new moon, how come?”  
  


“You also thought that the change was uncontrollable. There isn’t really a book on how to be a werewolf, and many people don’t have the benefit of another wolf to train ‘em. So only the violent stories get remembered. The bright moon probably makes it easier for others to recognize the wolf too.” Charles thought on that for a moment. Maybe it would be beneficial to write this all down.  
  


“Guess yer right. I’ve sure found it to be easier to hide in the shadows when there it’s only starlight.” Arthur stood, stretching out his back, feeling Charles’s eye on him. “I figured I’d start up a fire, assuming we are going to camp here? It’s the new moon after all.” Charles smiled to himself, even when facing something as life changing as lycanthropy Arthur still can’t sit still.  
  


The man earned his nickname of Work Horse. Charles often told Arthur to rest when he saw him around camp, knowing it fell on deaf ears, the man couldn’t sit still. As time went on he realized it wasn’t dedication more so the man’s crippling anxiety and lack of self worth, he hid it better than most, if you weren’t looking you would surely miss it. Dismissing it as him muscling his way into any job based on seniority, but if you scratched the surface you saw a man who thought he was worthless if he wasn’t helping. It had pained Charles when he first saw it. The man who did so much for so many often sat alone, suffered in pain alone afraid that he would be cast aside _._  
  


“You know, the dumb act doesn’t suit you. Why do you hide behind it?” Charles stared up at Arthur who had moved off toward the nearby trees to look for wood.  
  


“Ain’t hiding nothing. You said I’ll change with the new moon. It’s the new moon and we are already away from camp... ” He trailed off moving farther away to gather wood. Charles rolled his eyes, Arthur turned back to face Charles. “How’s the transformation work anyway?”  
  


_Of course he changes the subject._ Charles stood up, starting toward Arthur.  
  


“You getting hungry?” He closed the gap between them, meeting Arthur near the tree line.”This night might go differently if we don’t feed you.”  
  


“I’m starving, probably shoulda said something earlier.” Arthur grinned sheepishly.  
  


“Get that fire started, I’ll grab our bows.” The late afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky. Charles gathered their bows from the horses, making sure to pull arrows for each of them from the quiver on Taima’s back. He met back with Arthur who was hunched over a small fire, poking it and feeding the kindling slowly into the growing flame.

“I saw some turkeys over in the trees while I was gathering the wood.” Arthur gestured toward the small wooded area. “Think there’s a creek down there, we’re bound to catch somethin’ going for water.” Charles nodded, taking the lead toward the trees.  
  


“Transformation isn’t too bad.” Charles paused at the treeline, letting Arthur catch up, his voice low. “Usually it’ll happen while your human self is asleep. While you’re awake it’s a voice in your head, urging you to let them take control, give in and live out the feral side.” Arthur looks to Charles, worry spreading on his face.”It’s a bit unsettling, many mistake it for going crazy. Many give into the feral side and never take back control.” Charles felt Arthur stiffen next to him.  
  


“If you weren’t here, I don’t think I would know to come back from that side of myself.” Arthur’s voice was barely above a whisper. Charles slowed, turning to look at Arthur, the pain returned to his chest realizing how little Arthur thought of himself.  
  


“Arthur. You’ve already shown you have control over the wolf, without even knowing that was happening. You changed, and no one got hurt. You need to stop doubting yourself.” Arthur nodded slightly, refusing to make eye contact with Charles, turning back to search for game.  
  


The silence lingered on for a few minutes while they scanned the area surrounding the creek. Charles held out an arm toward Arthur, ducking behind a nearby tree. Arthur taking the next tree, looking back at Charles, who pointed to the far bank of the creek. The white fur gleaming brightly where the sun penetrated the canopy above them. Arthur’s breathe caught in his throat, he had heard stories of animals white as snow, but this was the first time he’d seen one.  
  


The fox kept its head down as it sniffled the soil near the creek, edging closer to take a drink. The men watched it from behind the trees, the fox raised its head staring up the hill toward them. It chittered out a warning, bristling it’s tail and holding its ground. The men remained still, watching as the fox settle down before it wandered up the creek away from them.  
  


“You know what the fox stands for in my culture Arthur? The fox is said to judge an individual’s soul. For those they find worthy they are problem solvers, those unworthy they are tricksters.” Arthur’s face scrunched in confusion.  
  


“He was pissed. That can’t be good?”  Arthur scoffed. Charles continued.  
  


“I think he was telling us to face challenges head on.” Charles motioned for Arthur to follow him, they made their way closer to the creek, weaving through the trees quietly. “Seems as good an answer as any as to how to handle your new life.” He held up his hand again to Arthur, pointing off to the distance where a flock of turkeys were feeding near the water. Both men released a shot, each hitting their own bird. The remainder scattering as they stood to retrieve the game.  
  


“This would be faster on four legs.” Arthur joked as they walked over to the birds.  
  


“It’s not impossible, but the transformation would probably take longer than walking.” Charles answered matter-of-factly.  
  


“Wait.” Arthur picked up his turkey, carefully pulling the arrow the rest of the way through its neck and holding the bird to his side. “ So, it’s a slow process? But you can change on command? How does that work?” Charles picked up his bird and turned to walk back to the camp, Arthur matching his pace.  
  


“Think of your new life as a partnership, you can help each other, once you’ve gotten control. Take the hunger you feel, you are now eating for two, you are feeding both yourself and the wolf. In turn, the wolf grants you his strength and _size_.” Arthur’s eyes widen with realization, he looked at Charles, whose eyes were sizing him up. “You said you gained a bunch of weight, how could you tell?”  
  


“My shirts, most of them started doing this.” He raised his arms, flexing his muscles as the seams whined in protest. “They are a helluva lot tighter, so I assumed I put on weight. That and Sean made some comments.” Arthur’s voice trailed off.  
  


“About that, when you know you’re going to shift I’d take off any clothes you’re attached to.” he paused, looking over Arthur once more. “You’ve definitely gotten bigger, as is the case after you’ve been bitten, some get larger than others. Depends on your wolf.” Charles drops his gaze turning to face the camp.  
  


“That’s about your new size, usually takes a couple transformations before your body settles down again.” He chuckled quietly. “ Didn’t expect Sean to notice, boy seems to have his head up his ass most the time. He must really look up to you, Arthur Morgan.” Charles tone was mocking as he glanced back to Arthur. Hoping the humor would pull him from wallowing in his spiraling self esteem. A smile broke on Arthur’s face  
  


“He’s a good kid, could use a good kick too.” Confusion replaced the smile. “So what, when I shift the clothes get destroyed?”  
  


“No, not so much that, the wolf will hide the clothes before the shift. You just don’t always get all the clothes back, ain’t fully figured out why. Maybe my wolf has a fashion sense.” Charles heard Arthur chuckled as they exited the trees back into the camp  
  


Charles prepped the birds as Arthur had volunteered to get their tack off the horses and settle them in for the evening. He returned to the campfire, the a tack tucked beneath each arm.  
  


“Definitely stronger.” A smile beaming across his face.”It’ll be a helluva lot easier to do chores this way.” Charles laughed aloud and Arthur’s smile faltered.  
  


“You kept up with me without being a wolf, there won’t be any work for the rest of us now!”

“Nah, you are by far the hardest worker in camp. Hey! Wait! That’s way too much food! There’s only the two of us!”  Arthur frowned as Charles put both birds to roast over the fire.  
  


“You said you were starvin’. Trust me, we may even need more. There is a lot of you to feed.” His frown deepened.  
  


“Thought we was bringin’ the other one home as the reason we was out so long. I can’t eat that much!” His stomach growled loudly as the smell of the turkey reached him. Arthur’s ears heated up and Charles raised an eyebrow at him.  
  


“The wolf can.”  
  


Arthur turned to set up the tents to hide his embarrassment. He was soon lost in thought over everything Charles had said today.  
  


The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon as Arthur emerged from his tent wearing his only pants and suspenders. He sat down next to Charles at the fire, he grabbed some turkey from the spit.  
  


Charles was out of his element, his composure barely being held. _He is your friend, you shouldn’t stare._ He took Arthur in, his face flared with heat. _It’s gonna be hard to help Arthur if you can’t control your own base thoughts._ His stare lingered, he caught Arthur’s eye and quickly dropped his gaze. _He knows you were looking at him, what did you do?_  
  


Arthur picked at the turkey, his eyes on Charles. Charles nervously met Arthur’s gaze.  
  


“Sorry, I-I just like that shirt. I can cover up if you’re uncomfortable. I know I ain’t much to look at.” A smile cracked on Charles face and he shook his head.  
  


“Arthur, you’re fine. I just wasn’t prepared, sorry for staring. It was wrong of me, you’re my friend, should have known it would make you uncomfortable.” Arthur rubbed his hand off on his pants, dropping the bones from the turkey into the fire.  
  


“S’okay.” His voice was quiet, Charles sighed. “You gonna eat that?” He pointed to the remaining turkey on the spit over the fire, Charles shook his head. “Guess you was right, I think we could have used a third bird.” Charles chuckled lowly at that. He sat back, looking up to the sky, the last of the pinks fading into the velvety blue of the night.  
  


“Arthur, are you scared to change?” Arthur looked up at him.  
  


“Of course. I ain’t got a clue what will happen. I could hurt you, hurt _a lot_ of people.” He moved and sat closer to Charles. “I...I could decide I don’t want to be a man no more. Live as the wolf. Succumb to the animal inside me.” He stared at his meal, trying to find the words.  
  


“Can I be honest with you.” Charles waited for Arthur to respond, to his side Arthur nodded. “I’m glad this happened to you. I mean...you are the best person for this to have happened to. Ugh, that isn’t what I mean. I mean, you’re the most capable man I know, if anyone could handle this it’d be you.”  Charles leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. “I’m sorry. That probably isn’t what you wanted to hear.” He cursed himself under this breathe. _I’m GLAD this happened to you?! What the fuck Charles._  
  


“Thanks.” Arthur’s voice was quiet, Charles lifted his head. “I ain’t thanked you for all you’ve done for me Charles. You’re one helluva friend, there’s no way I’ll be able to repay ya for all y’done.”  
  


“I’ll always be there for you, Arthur. You’re my friend, probably the best I’ve ever had.” Charles paused, a smirk spreading across his face. “You know, I haven’t met another wolf until you, so your my pack now. Sorry. You’re stuck with me.” Arthur took another bite of the turkey, a grin spreading across his face.  
  


“I couldn’t pick a better man to call my pack.” He tossed the remaining bones in the fire. “So, the change. What’s it feel like? Ya said it don’t hurt, but what’s it feel like?”  
  


“An overwhelming sense of restlessness. You feeling something?” Charles tried to hide his excitement. He’d never seen another wolf, to be perfectly honest he wasn’t sure what his wolf looked like. They weren’t exactly in the room together that often. “I want to meet your wolf, see what he looks like!”  
  


“I dunno if that’s such a good idea, it’s still a wolf. I don’t wanna hurt you.” Arthur was taken aback by Charles excitement.  
  


“ Arthur, I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. It will be a good way to test your control too.”  
  


“You ain’t told me how to do that!” Arthur’s throat tightened. “There is no way I’m going to be able to control a wolf!”  
  


“Then let’s work on that now.” Charles made his voice calm and soothing. “The wolf feeds off your base desires, you already ate, so it won’t be hunger. What else do you feel you need?”  
  


Arthur stammered, anger bubbling up inside of him. _How could he be so calm? He tells me he’s never met another wolf, is EXCITED about my transformation_. What if I kill him? How will I forgive myself.  
  


“I-I don’t know! I just feel like me!” Anger bubbling into his voice.  
  


“Arthur. You need to stay calm. Think, what is it that you want to do more than _anything_ right now?” Charles spoke slowly, his eyes locked on Arthur.  
  


“How am I s’posed to be calm about this?!” Arthur snarled, throwing his arms into the air. “This ain’t no normal circumstance! You want me to just sit here and tell you ‘bout my day? My desires? Askin’ me to talk to a wolf inside me...like I know how t’do that?” The hairs on Charles’s arm began to prickle, beside him Arthur seethed. Charles needed to calm him, the wolf was on edge.  
  


“Arthur, what do you feel? Tell me...tell the wolf what you need. You’re the alpha, he needs to listen to you.” Beside him Arthur huffed, then silence as he tried to reign in his anger. The silence stretched on, the fire crackled from the wet wood, the humid air hung heavily around them. Arthur exhaled heavily and closed his eyes.  
  


“To run.”  
  


“Then let’s run.” Charles stood, crossing the camp to his tent and disappeared inside. Arthur sat stone still, staring into the fire, a moment of confusion passing into relief. He hadn’t messed up, Charles was still going to help him. The wolf pushing his emotions to the brink, he focused on his breathing in the calming glow of the fire.  
  


Charles emerged from his tent, stretching his arms over his head as he walked back to the fire, he had removed his shirt, effects, and shoes. He motioned for Arthur to follow him into the trees.  
  


“Let’s teach you how to transform. I’ll show you how to communicate with your wolf.” Charles entered the trees, Arthur following closely behind him. “Let’s start with talking to your wolf. That voice in the back of your head. In the most basic sense that is your wolf, you can push thoughts back to it. It’s like talking to yourself.” Charles turned to Arthur as he got to a darker part of the woods.  
  


“The most important thing is to stay calm. It will be a new sensation, and the first time you shift on purpose it can be slow. That is okay, I will be here with you, and you won’t hurt me. I trust you.” Charles put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “Clear your mind of everything except for the voice that is telling you to run. Focus on it, until it’s the only thing on your mind.”  
  


Arthur closed his eyes, he heard Charles’s breathing and felt the warmth of his hand on his skin. The cicadas buzzed loudly as Arthur tried to focus on the whisper deep inside him, the instinct telling him to run, to be free. Slowly the sounds of the night began to fade away. The voice, louder now, was clear in his mind. He no longer felt Charles’s hand on his shoulder, the voice spoke out in the silence.

 

_Run. Freedom. -- Brother._

 

“Let’s run, together.” Arthur whispered to the voice, a calm enveloped him as he gave himself over to the voice.  
  


He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the night, Charles stood in front of him. The sounds of nature slowly returned to his ears, the smell of the damn soil filled his nose, mixed with the acrid smell of smoke from the campfire. Charles dropped down to his haunches, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at Arthur. He had done it, he sat with Charles now as a wolf, his fears faded as Charles reached out to touch him, he bowed his head to accept. The voice in his ear spoke again.

 

_Brother. Friend._

 

Arthur answered him this time. “Yes, Charles is like us. My brother, our pack.”

 

_Good._

 

Arthur sat quietly as Charles looked him over. Charles stood and chuckled.  
  


“I knew you would be big, but damn Arthur!” He shook his head in mock disbelief before taking a step back. “ You wanted to see what a transformation was like, you know what it feels like now. Remember, you have to be calm. Okay, watch me.”  
  


Arthur sat still, watching as Charles closed his eyes. He wondered what Charles was talking with his wolf about, his reason for changing, for letting the wolf out. The shift began, Charles form began to become fuzzy, almost as if he was going to blink out of existence, be gone forever. Shadows overtook his shape, the air felt as if it was alive around Arthur, his hackles raised on their own as two piercing yellow eyes met his in the space where Charles had stood. The air had become almost electric as the wolf stepped back into clarity.  
  


Before Arthur stood a large black wolf, he blinked slowly, his body language relaxed. Arthur felt his hackles fall as the wolf no longer perceived a threat. He rose and padded over to Charles, looking at him, cocking his head to the side. Charles nodded in acknowledgement, letting Arthur circle around him, sniffing him in exploration.  
  


Charles thought to himself. “Guess he always was better with animals than people. Makes sense he takes to this like a duck takes to water.” In his ear the wolf chuckled.

 

_He is more animal than most._

 

Charles hummed a response before he turned his attention back to the larger tawny wolf. In some ways it would be like training a puppy, the new sensations and experiences. Charles remembered when he was young, he had been a pup, there was so many new things. It would take time, but Arthur was already on his way to complete control. He stood, brushing his shoulder into the larger wolf before taking off into the trees. He soon heard pounding of Arthur's feet behind him, letting him catch up and catching his eye. Charles let him take the lead, and they disappeared into the night.


	4. A Poison with No Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay on the update, it's been a wild month for me. 
> 
> Arthur's self esteem takes it's first big hit since the change. Sadie tries to comfort her friend. Two disasters in Saint Denis.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: Update may be slow as I am moving interstate next month and have a LOT to get together. I will update as soon as I can.

Micah had weaseled his way into more than a few of the conversations that were normally reserved for Dutch, Hosea and himself. 

 

“He’s got some great ideas, Arthur, and I don’t see you offering any new ideas up.” Dutch’s response still made his wolf’s hackles rise. He had been so close to losing control when Dutch had confronted him. 

 

“Now that ain’t fair Dutch! I told you weeks ago these damn fools ain’t got any gold!” Arthur snarled through clenched teeth. The blood was pounding in his ears. “I told you we should be putting our efforts into something more low key. Go back to scammin’. We are drawin’ too much attention, we don’t need that! ” He looked to Hosea, his eyes pleading, of all people Hosea should have his back. Hosea looked down and back to Dutch.

 

“I think we have a good thing going here, son. These folks aren't smart enough to know we are playing them.” The fight left Arthur, he wasn’t gonna win this one. It’d just be another one of Dutch’s plans to blow up, an all too common occurrence in the last couple months.

 

“Hosea.” Arthur’s voice was hollow. “You know something ain’t right. It’s too easy.” In the back of his head the wolf growled.

 

**_Why won’t they listen? It’s a trap, you feel it. Make them see!_ **

 

Arthur hushed the wolf. He had come to realize his new friend was a pup, they were growing in this together. The wolf growled lowly but submitted to aggravated silence in the back of his mind. His anger still bubbled just below the surface. 

 

The silence stretched between the men. Arthur dropped his gaze, the feeling of betrayal crept in as he turned and stalked off toward the horses. Micah shouted after Arthur as he left. 

 

“You’re just mad it weren’t your idea first, Morgan.” He sneered. Arthur bristled and clicked a call for his horse.

 

_ Dutch is losing it, that family ain’t got nothing. They are just old bigots living on bygone dreams! _ He had been pushing for weeks for the gang to move on from trying to pull money from the Braithwaites, the damn Grays too. 

 

They had been working the families for weeks and had gotten no closer to finding this “ _ Colonial Gold _ ”. Arthur was surprised to see Hosea as wrapped up in this as Dutch. The man usually had more sense than this, but that had been the way of things lately. Crazier schemes, flimsier plans, and a lot more bloodshed.

 

Ulysses knickered as he approached, after the first transformation it had been a bit rocky with the stallion, but he had settled after about a pound of peppermints. Arthur glanced around for Taima among the rest of the herd. Both Taima and Old Belle were missing, Arthur sighed. Charles was out on another errand, no doubt some trouble with those families. Those racist sons of bitches wouldn’t talk to Charles, sending him out with Karen and Bill, Dutch just wanted him there for menace. Arthur scoffed and turned back to Ulysses giving the horse a good pat before pulling out a brush, the horse leaned in appreciatively.

 

“Ain’t ever seen you fight with Dutch like that, everything okay?” Sadie’s voice carried through the trees before Arthur saw her. She whistled softly for Bob, the horse trotted over excitedly. 

 

I don’t know, if I was bein’ honest.” Arthur continued to brush Ulysses, taking long strokes down the horse’s back, biting back the anger that still simmered in the back of his mind. “I just don’t think we should be messin’ with these families. Town’s too close knit, ain’t safe to be playing both ‘em at once.” Sadie hummed as she handed Bob an apple. 

 

Arthur had been confiding in her more lately, especially since Charles had been away more. She kept to herself, but she would seek him out, he rarely saw her talking to anyone else. There was a kinship there, he kept to himself, preferring the quiet to the endless chatter.

 

“Way everyone ‘round here talks seems like they are a pretty stupid group of people.” She felt Arthur’s eye daggers before she turned to look at him. 

 

“Sadie…” he growled, “think about it. Town that small you don’t think no one is talking about some overly helpful strangers?” His glare burned into her, she had been mostly joking but his face wiped any inkling that he was in the mood to joke. The hairs on the back of her neck stood, he had never been anything but kind to her, but in that moment she understood why he garnered the respect of everyone in camp. The voice in the back of her head issued a warning. But that wasn’t the only thing the voice pushed.

 

**_He would make a good mate._ **

 

Sadie hushed the voice. “I ain’t lookin’ for a mate, plus we’re friends, it ain’t like that with him.” 

 

**_Then be careful around him, something is different about him._ **

 

Sadie brushed off the response. “It’s Arthur. He ain’t got the best poker face. He isn’t hiding anything, it’s fine.”

 

The silence between them lingered, Arthur focused on brushing out Ulysses as Sadie stared back at him. 

 

“I’m sorry, Arthur. I didn’t mean to upset you. Wasn’t the right time for joking.” Arthur stopped brushing, forcing himself to look up at her.

 

“It ain’t just your fault, I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Just another person against me was too much, ‘specially you. I thought for sure you would agree with me, when I didn’t hear it, I got angry. Wasn’t right of me to snap at you for not liking your answer.”  Sadie rubbed Bob’s nose, turning to Arthur a small smile on her face. 

 

“I think you need some time away, I need to go to town, and I could use the company. Let’s get out of here.” Sadie tightened Bob’s tack, turning him back toward the path glancing over her shoulder at Arthur. “Come on then, let’s just get away from it all.” She saddled up and started out of camp. 

 

Arthur sighed, he knew Sadie was right, everything in camp was just going to set him off. The sound of the gramophone reeling up caused Arthur to clench his teeth, pushing back the wolf’s urge to rage through. His breath came shakily through his nose, his eyes clenched tight he growled back to the wolf.

 

“Not here, back off!” The blood pounded in his head as he forced the rage back. 

 

Silently he pulled himself up into the saddle and followed Sadie out of camp. The blood pulsing behind his eyes as he watched Sadie and Bob, his breathing controlled and even, his lips pressed tightly into a line. Sadie turned her head slightly to confirm Arthur was following, she felt the tense silence and pushed Bob on out onto the road and toward town. The ride to town was silent, Arthur hung back a bit as Sadie lead them along. The sun climbed toward its peak as they rode into Saint Denis.

 

“I was needin’ to stop by the tailor, I put in an order a while back and they should have it ready for pick up by now. Anything you need to do while we’re here?” Sadie swung Bob around to face Arthur as they pulled into the outskirts of town. Arthur grunted noncommittally and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Just here in case you need help carryin’ anything or need a hand.” his voice was soft and broken. Sadie’s heart broke seeing him like this, it was a first for her, a glimpse behind the veil. 

 

Arthur Morgan, notorious outlaw, feared by many, was a broken man. 

 

“I could use a hand at the tailor, and you could use a new outfit, that blue shirt ain’t gonna last forever.” Arthur glanced down at the worn blue fabric, patched more than its share of times by the women in camp. Inspecting the shirt he opened his mouth to protest, Sadie’s expression hardened and she spoke over him. “Let’s see what they have in stock in your size, that looks a bit tight as of late anyhow.”

 

_ Of course she would notice. _ Arthur turned his head away  _ You’re getting fat, Morgan. Everyone knows it, Sadie’s just the only one willin’ to say it out loud.  _

 

Sadie’s eyes stayed on Arthur, surprised by his reaction, but waiting to see what he did next. She expected a fight, but maybe she had put her foot in her mouth again. Her expression softened.

 

“Arthur, what’s going on? Why are you so closed off? It can’t just be the whole thing with Hosea and Dutch.” Sadie pulled Bob in front of Ulysses, blocking Arthur from escaping as her eyes held on him. His eyes stayed locked on the ground off to the side, Sadie’s figure visible in his peripheral. “Arthur…” Her voice was soft, pleading.  

 

“Twenty years and my opinion isn’t worth the time of day. Seems like it don’t amount to much for anyone no more. First chance at something new and I get replaced, again.” His eyes had closed now, still not looking up to meet Sadie’s eyes. Sadie’s chest tightened, she pulled Bob alongside Ulysses and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Ain’t no one is gonna replace you, what nonsense is this? You got more respect in that camp than most of them all combined. I ain’t ever heard anyone talk badly ‘bout you. ‘Cept Micah, and he ain’t no one that matters.” Sadie smirked and threw her arms into the air. “Fuck ‘em!” Arthur turned to face her, caught off guard by her language, he chuckled.

 

Arthur shook his head before glancing up at Sadie from under the brim of his hat. “Ms. Adler, that ain’t no language fit for a lady.” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. Sadie smiled, he was coming back around. 

 

“Then I guess you’re gonna have to say it for me. C’mon say it! And then we will go have a good time here in Saint Denis.” Arthur cocked his head at her, giving her an impressive side-eye before exhaling deeply and throwing his hands up.

 

“Fuck ‘em.” Sadie laughed and pulled Bob around again and set off toward the tailors. 

 

“Attaboy! Let’s go pick up my order, and see if we can’t find you a new outfit!” Arthur spurred Ulysses to follow. 

 

**_She is good, we like her._ **  Arthur nodded.  **_You like her._ **

 

“As a friend, she’s had a time of it, last thing she needs is me actin’ like a fool around her.” Arthur hushed the wolf as they reached the tailor, hitching the horses along the road and walking up to the storefront.

 

“Go look at the catalog while I talk to the clerk about my order.” Sadie pointed to the book just off to the side as she walked to speak to the clerk.

 

“Morning ma’am how can I help you? Sir, that isn’t a picture book, I can help you in a minute.” Arthur’s shoulders tensed as he reached down to open the book. His knuckles turned white as he grabbed the counter, not looking up at the clerk. He exhaled slowly through his nose before he stood back to his full height his fists balled and his eyes closed. He opened his mouth to speak before Sadie’s voice cut him off.

 

“What a charming establishment.” Her voice was like ice as the clerk turned his attention back to her. “Do you insult all your potential clients?” Sadie’s eyes flicked to Arthur who looked at her now, the anger burning behind them, then back to the clerk.

 

“No, ma’am. I meant no offense, honest.” The clerk stammered.

 

“It ain’t me you should be apologizing to, it’s my husband.” Arthur’s eyes bugged at her as she gestured defiantly toward him.

 

**_She called us husband! She is our mate!_ **

 

The wolf shouted excited in the back of his mind, pushing the limits of Arthur’s control. He tried to regain his composure as the man turned to face him.

 

“Please excuse me, sir. I didn’t mean offense when I said that book didn’t have pictures. Just lots of folks round here can’t read none.” Arthur cleared his throat, his fists still balled at his sides his eyes flicked from Sadie to the clerk, anger seethed from him.

 

“It’s fine, I just want to look through the book, if I find something I need I will call you over. I believe the lady had something you could help her with in the meantime.”  

 

Arthur stared at Sadie as the man nervously turned back to her, his eyes lingering on Arthur as long as was acceptable.

 

“W-what can I help you with today, ma’am?” The clerk could feel Arthur’s eyes piercing into his back as he waited for Sadie to answer.

 

“I’m here to pick up an order I placed, it ready?” Sadie smiled coyly at the man behind the counter, greatly enjoying watching the clerk squirm under Arthur’s gaze.

 

“L-let me check.” The man turned and damn near ran to the back of the shop to check for Sadie’s order. She turned to Arthur, who had refocused his attention on the catalog.

 

“You find anything you want to try?” Arthur turned the page, not looking up from the page.

 

“Ain’t entirely sure, there are a couple in here I’d like to see what fabric they got.” Sadie glanced down to the swatch book that sat on the counter top, she picked it up and walked it over to Arthur, leaning over his shoulder to see what style he was looking at.

 

“Take a look at these.” She pushed the book onto the counter in front of him. “Which one you looking at?” He straightened up, pushing the catalog in front of Sadie and pointed toward a simple cotton overshirt. He grabbed the swatch book and began to flip through the pages, pacing the store as he did and stopping occasionally to look at some of the items the shop had on display.

 

The clerk returned and Arthur looked up from the swatch book, looking over to where Sadie was waiting. He saw the clerk tense under his gaze and Sadie nodded to him. He returned his attention to the swatches. Picking a couple that he would be interested in he walked back toward the counter and laid the book open on the countertop.

 

“Your order ma’am, will there be anything else?” The clerk slid the wrapped package across the counter to Sadie.

 

“We was looking to see if you have a couple shirts in my husband’s size he can try, we will likely be placing an order for a couple more.” She gestured toward Arthur who was quietly waiting off to the side, books open. 

 

“Let’s take your measurements and I will see what we have here for you to try.” The clerk looked over Arthur moving slowly toward the back of the shop. “Come along, we will find you something that fits better.”

 

Sadie watched as the men disappeared around the corner, Arthur quietly following the clerk, unbuttoning his shirt as he rounded the corner. She pulled gently on the twine tied around her package, checking the clothes against her order. Satisfied with the craftsmanship she wrapped the paper back around the clothes and tied it back up. She gathered her things and made her way back to where the men were doing their measurements.

 

Arthur stood with his back to her, his arms outstretched to the sides, his union suit clung tightly to his back, the clerk was speaking lowly to Arthur as he took his measurements. Sadie walked forward toward the men, making herself known. Arthur’s head snaps around, his ears burned hot, the clerk turns to look to her as well.

 

“So what did we find?” Sadie walked around to face Arthur, looking him over. 

 

“He is going to have to take in a larger shirt if I want anything today.” Arthur refused to meet Sadie’s glance, feeling more exposed than he wanted standing in his union suit. He felt her eyes on his face, the clerk tapped his arms and he crossed his arms across his chest. The clerk stood, looking back to the swatch book where he had marked Arthur’s cloth choices he made his way to the back of the shop leaving Sadie and Arthur alone.

 

“Husband?” Arthur glanced up to see Sadie crossing over to put her parcel down next to Arthur’s shirt and satchel turning back to face him.

 

“Why not? Got our point across didn’t it? I wasn’t about to let you kill the man before I paid.” She smiled pushing him gently in the shoulder. “C’mon, ain’t no harm in pretend. I thought you and Hosea ran scams? Man is terrified, you may get a better deal knowing he offended you.”

 

Arthur drops his arms to his side, Sadie now seeing how tattered his union suit was, she turned back toward the counter and walked to retrieve the catalog.

 

“Could have used a heads up--wait, where ya goin’?” He stepped off the pedestal and followed Sadie around the corner stopping behind her as she opened the catalog.

 

“You need a new union suit, that one is a mess.”

 

“Woman, we ain’t actually married. This is fine.” Sadie bristled without looking up.

 

“Name’s Sadie, call me woman again and you’ll regret it.” Arthur threw up his arms in defense.

 

“You’re ain’t allowed to spring this shit on me and not expect me to bristle.” Arthur growled, keeping his voice low enough to not draw the clerk’s attention. Sadie waved him off, shaking her head.

 

“Fine then, have it your way. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with treatin’ yourself Arthur. You do deserve it, despite what you think.” She slammed the catalog shut and walked back to the fitting room and sat in the chair pushed against the wall. Arthur sighed, following her back to the back room before silently returning to the pedestal.

 

Before long the clerk returned, clearly aware of the tense air he moved back toward Arthur a couple shirts slung over his arm, he pulled one and handed it to Arthur. 

 

“Put this on and stand still. Arms out, please.” The clerk turned to grab the pin cushion and then back to Arthur who complied holding his arms out silently. The fitting took another half an hour, Arthur put his old shirt back on as they move back to the register. 

 

“I’ll have these for you before close, come back later” Arthur grunted and turned toward the door, waiting for Sadie near the door. As she approaches Arthur stepped out and held the door for her, placing his hand on the small of her back and taking the package from her. The door closes behind them and they walk back to their horses, Sadie smirked up at Arthur.

 

“Very gentlemanly of you, Mr. Morgan.” She cooed, her hand held sarcastically to her chest.

 

“Just actin’ like a husband would, your idea.” He handed her back her parcel and she placed it in Bob’s saddlebag. “Well, what else ya got planned?”

 

“Well, we’re in a big town, we should get a real meal. No offense to Pearson, but I’m gettin’ a bit tired of the stew.” Sadie mockingly gagged as she climbed onto Bob’s back. “Could also use a nice bath, anything you need while we’re in town?”

 

Arthur ran his hands through his hair, it had gotten a bit long in the last couple months, with so much going on with the gang he hadn’t had a chance to get a proper haircut. Sadie looked over to Arthur.

 

“How about you go talk to the barber, and I’ll go freshen up and we meet for lunch in the Saloon across the park from City Hall.”

 

“Sure, I’ll meet you at the saloon when I’m finished.” Arthur swung his leg over Ulysses back, turning him toward the center of town. Sadie pulls Bob alongside him.

 

“You feelin’ better?” Sadie followed alongside him, he faced ahead not meeting her gaze.

 

“It’s just been kind of a strange day. Between that shit at camp this morning and the crap you pulled at the tailor. There is just a lot going on, got a lot on my mind. I’ll be fine.”  Sadie nodded, she knew he was lying but she had pressed him enough today. 

 

“Meet me at the saloon when you’re finished, I’ll get us some food.” She waved him off and he gave her a salute to indicate he had heard her. She pulled Bob off toward the center of town and toward Bastille.

\--

Sadie stepped into the saloon and made her way to the bar to speak with the bartender. The man looked her over, taking in her pants and the dust on her face. 

 

“Ma’am? How can I help you today?” She felt the eyes of the other patrons on her, ignoring them she addressed the man behind the bar.

 

“I’d like to get a bath?” She would try to convince Arthur to stay out tonight, the longer he was away from camp the better. The man deserved a break, he worked harder than anyone else and everyone always just asked for more. 

 

She hadn’t noticed at first, with how much she had on her mind, but Arthur was the one member of camp who was actually never there. He was always out on some run for the camp or helping another member pull off a half-assed scheme to make sure they didn’t get themselves killed. She honestly had only seen him sleep in his own tent a handful of times since she was taken in by the gang. 

 

There was the time she found him near a tree on the outside of camp. It was well before sunrise and she had gone to check on Bob, something she often did when she found she couldn’t sleep. There she saw him slumped against the tree. He must have fallen asleep while working in his journal as it lay closed across his lap. It had been the first time she saw Arthur sleeping, truly at peace, and it had made her heart ache even then. 

 

She had learned a bit about the men in the gang from the ladies over the weeks. It had been Karen who originally told her that Arthur’s gruff demeanor was a cover. Sadie had scoffed at her then, seeing how he interacted around camp, throwing his weight around and barking orders. But then there were the times when he would come by and ask her how she was holding up, if she needed anything. And that one time she came across him talking to Karen once about how he felt crazy and how he was worried about the killings. 

 

As she started opening up she had found that he was easier to talk to than most the women, he always seemed to be up when a nightmare drove away the sleep. He didn’t talk much, but she found that he was a great listener, and what he did have to offer was insightful, the kind of insight only someone who understood that kind of loss could provide. The silence between them those nights was never awkward, it was comforting, like how it had been with Jake, no need for words.

 

She made her way up the stairs to the bath, thinking of a way to keep Arthur out and give him the night off he deserved. She was greeted at the top of the stairs by a looming man, staring down at her.

 

“Ain’t seen you around here before.” The man’s body blocked the entirety of the stairwell, keeping her below him, his form casting a shadow over her.

 

“Just passin’ through, tryin’ to wash up. ‘Cuse me.” Sadie pushed forward, trying to brush past the man’s side and up the rest of the stairs. He braced his stance, putting a hand on her shoulder as she tried to push past.

 

“Lookin’ for some company while you’re in town? You got a pretty face, shame your man let’s you leave the house like that.” Sadie bristled, her hand reaching down to rest on the hilt of her knife.

 

“Mister, I’m gonna ask that you remove your hand, or I’ll remove it for ya. Ain’t got no time or energy for your shit.” She drew the knife from her belt and held it out for him to see. Her eyes spitting fire as she glared up at the man who had staggered back at the sight of the knife. 

 

“Whoa now! Ain’t no reason to get fussy!” He threw his hands instinctively up, releasing her shoulder as she pushed past him, shouldering him hard into the railing and sheathing the knife.

“This fuckin’ town…” she muttered under her breath, “the pinnacle of civilization and the men are still pigs.” She closed the door to the bath behind her, seeing the steam curl off the water made her anger melt away.

 

The water had started to chill and her hand were wrinkled from the extended time submerged when she finally pulled herself out of the bath and began to redress. It had been a long time since she had taken a full hot bath, and it was better than she had remembered, the soap here was scented with lavender and the entire room was filled with the relaxing scent. Fully dressed she stretched out and made her way back downstairs to wait for Arthur.

 

To her surprise he was already leaning against the bar, his hair and beard trimmed, he was fending off a working girl who obviously had pegged him for an out-of-towner. Sadie watched from the stairs as he gently declined her, she turned to walk away, stopping briefly as she saw Sadie approach.

 

“He isn’t lookin’ for company sweetheart, but a man like that ain’t ever got to pay.” She gave a wink and Sadie stifled a laugh leaning on the bar next to Arthur.

 

“What’s so funny?” He asked motioning for the bartender to bring Sadie a drink. The bartender sets the glass in front of her and pours her drink before collecting the coins Arthur threw on the bar.

 

“Just a joke between us women.” She raised her glass to him and shot back the whiskey.

 

“At my expense, I assume?” He turned to face her. 

 

“Not at all, nothing but compliments for you.” She signaled the bartender for another round for them, Arthur’s face scrunched in confusion. “Arthur, you got nothing to worry about. Let’s drink, relax, maybe play some poker and just have a nice afternoon.” 

 

The bartender poured them another round and Sadie asked if he could also bring out some food, ordering them both something hearty. He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Arthur reached into his bag for the money, but Sadie stopped him, dropping her own coin onto the counter.

 

“I got this, you don’t have to take care of everything. It’s okay to relax and let other people handle things. Say, while he is making the food why don’t you go take a bath, try to relax some we got nothin’ but time.” Arthur chuckled, returning his hand to the glass and emptying it, the whiskey already doing it’s job.

 

“You tryin’ to say I smell Mrs. Adler?” His voice deadpan as he looked into the glass, he reached over the bar and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. Pouring himself and Sadie another shot and placing the bottle on the bar between them. He dropped a handful of coins on the bar next to the glass before throwing back another shot.

 

“Sure as hell am!” Sadie replied dryly taking her own shot and refilling her glass. A smile drew across her face as she watched him empty his glass again, the warmth from the whiskey relaxing her. His shoulder had relaxed and the warmth had returned to his presence, drinking may not be the healthiest way, but it was effective. She raised her glass to him, he nodded and raised his glass in return, a smirk creeping across his face.

 

“Guess I’ll go clean up then.” He pushed himself back from the bar, grabbing the bottle as he turned. “Can’t have me bein’ less than presentable while out with my _wife_.” Sadie guffawed, shouldering Arthur and snatching the bottle from him. He shrugged and took off toward the stairs.

 

“Just get your ass back down here when you’re done.” She poured herself another glass as the bartender came back from the kitchen. He eyed her disapprovingly and she pointed to the coins Arthur had left. “My husband was impatient, but that should cover it.” She shrugged, emptying the last of the bottle into her glass and passing it back over the bar.

\--

Arthur leaned heavily against the bathroom door as he pulled off his boots, the warmth from the whiskey clouding his mind. He dropped himself into the tub, leaning back against the copper walls as the steam coiled from the water’s surface. The lavender soothed his body, breathing deeply he closed his eyes and leaning his head back.

 

Sadie had been right, the bath was just what he needed, he felt the tension in his shoulders melt away. The lavender and the whiskey eased his frayed nerves, the wolf quiet in the back of his mind. It had been a long time since Arthur felt this quiet, serene, like nothing in the world mattered beyond the warmth of the tub. 

 

He wasn’t sure how much time had past when he opened his eyes, the water had cooled considerably. Reaching for the soap and a nearby sponge be quickly began to wash up, he finished up and got dressed. Reminded once more of how large he had gotten as he pulled his shirt over his shoulders, the fabric audibly rebelling against the motion. 

 

He glanced into the mirror as he pulled his shirt the rest of the way on, looking over himself for the first time since that night, his pants pulled tightly around his waist, a couple inches shorter than they had been a few months ago. His chest was broader, his arms were definitely bigger. His eyes trailed down, where the definition of his abs had softened. He heaved a sigh, rationally he knew it wasn’t bad, he was stronger, bigger, this amazing power coursed through his body, and yet he felt his eyes fall away, embarrassed by what he saw.

 

**_We are strong, look at us! We are powerful, big muscles, no one is as strong as us._ **

 

The wolf bubbled in his mind, the excitement threatening to take over, a smile crept across Arthur’s face as the wolf’s happiness bubbled over. He pulled his shirt the rest of the way on and finished getting dressed.

 

“That we are buddy, and I have you to thank for that.” The smile remained on Arthur’s face, the pup’s excitement grew with the praise. He turned from the mirror and began to make his way downstairs.

 

**_We are so amazing…_ **

 

The voice chirped in the back of his mind, the joy spread through Arthur’s body, an emotion he didn’t feel the need to control, he jogged down the stairs. He found Sadie still leaning against the bar, two meals set out in front of her. He sidled up next to her, reaching for a plate.

 

“Feelin’ better? You look better, and  _ definitely _ smell better.”  She pulled her own plate toward her, handing Arthur a set of silverware.

 

“You were right, that was just what I needed.” The wolf chirped again in the back of his mind.

 

**_She said we look good, she sees how strong we are!_ **

 

He shushed the wolf, settling in to eat, they ate in comfortable silence, both of the more hungry than they realized.  As the afternoon stretched on, Sadie suggested they play a couple hands of poker. Arthur declined, deciding instead to relax and enjoy watching Sadie take everyone at the table for all their money.

 

He pulled out his journal, sketching the scene ahead of him, Sadie bent over the table pulling her winnings toward her. Carefully watching the other men at the table, reading their actions, knowing she wouldn’t need his help, but ready to step in if she asked. 

 

The last couple of weeks had brought them closer, they shared more in common than he would have originally thought and she had this way about her, calming and infuriating at the same time as if she knew all the right buttons to press. She was one of the few to see through his lies and bring down his walls. Other than Charles, very few people in camp seemed to notice the change in his behavior or looks, she may not have known what caused them but she had noticed.

 

His mind wandered back to the first time she noticed, a few weeks after the bite. He had been doing chores around the camp, if anyone had been paying attention they would have seen him showing off. Charles had told him to be more discreet, but Arthur knew no one in camp paid him any mind, he was just expected to be working, the work-horse. 

 

“You’re looking well, Arthur!” Her voice carrying from the nearby scout fire. He stopped in his tracks, looking back to her, she still spent much of her time alone. ”You’re always working, come sit with me, take a break.”

 

She always had looked out for him, encouraged him to take more time for himself, even then when she barely knew him. He felt the sadness in his core, for all that she had been through to still care so much about someone she barely knew. He refocused his attention on Sadie at the table, she still held a considerable amount of chips, but she had let her guard down and now two men stood behind her. 

 

Arthur watched closely, one was discreetly signaling to a man across the table. Arthur pushed himself up from the bar, stepping up to the table next to the man, he crossed his arms over his chest. He towered over the man, leaning close he growled under his breath.

 

“Now that’s just low, cheatin’ that woman like that? Keep that up and we’re gonna have a problem.” The man’s eyes snapped up to Arthur, wide with fear, he hadn’t even heard him approach. 

 

“N-now, mis-mister, that ain’t what’s happening here. Honest!” The man took a step to the side, knocking into the man next to him in an attempt to distance himself from Arthur. Sadie turned to see the commotion, quickly piecing it together she snapped her head to the man across from her, rage filled her and she roared.

 

“You cheatin’ me? You thought you could take advantage of me ‘cause I was a woman? Or…” she paused, a dangerous smile flashed across her face, “...was it fear of losin’ to a woman?” Her eyes locked on the man, waiting for an answer. Behind her Arthur’s gaze keeps the other from moving, he position unchanged, like a predator waiting. The player squirmed under Sadie’s gaze, looking between the other men at the table finding no mercy among them. He stood, his gaze returning to Sadie, finding his voice he growled back to her.

 

“Like you were playin’ fair. Ain’t nobody that lucky ma’am. You was cheatin’ and you know it!” His eyes hardened on her, standing his ground. Her smile grew, and she laughed. The hairs on Arthur’s arms stood and the wolf stirred in his mind, his eyes flicked to Sadie and back to the man. 

 

**_Danger_ **

 

“It will be fine.” He soothed the wolf, but he felt the chill that ran down his spine at her words. The same danger he felt the first time he saw Charles shift, that feeling of being near a predator. 

 

“So that’s it, you were afraid of losin’ to a woman. You’re pathetic!” Her eyes narrowed, goading him to take the bait, her hand slowly made its way to her gun belt. Arthur’s eyes followed her hand, he remained still, weighing his intervention. The man next to him moved, scrambling toward the door. Arthur reached out, grabbing his arm and throwing him to the floor, Sadie turned and the player took the opportunity to draw his gun. Arthur’s eyes locked on the player, drawing his gun and pointing it at his head.

 

“Don’t...move.” The room is silent and his voice dripping with menace, his expression cold. Sadie’s eyes meet his before turning back to the player. The man’s eyes are on Arthur and his gun, holding his gun steady on Sadie’s chest. The man on the floor curled in on himself at Arthur’s feet and whimpered quietly, not daring to look up.

 

“See, you ain’t the only one with friends, but I can guarantee you, mine is going to be more useful.” She gestured to the man cowering on the floor. Sadie opened her mouth to continue and Arthur cut her off.

 

“Lower your gun and leave, let’s keep this civil. I won’t ask again.” The gun raised slowly toward the ceiling and was holstered. Arthur dropped his gun, releasing the hammer, his eyes never leaving the player's face. Sadie turned to look at Arthur as he rounded the table, her eyes burned into him as he followed the man with his. The player gathered his partner and they hurriedly leave the bar, Arthur’s eyes burning holes in the door well after they have left. Sadie’s hand touched Arthur’s arm, he re-holstered his gun and looked down to her. 

 

“Arthur, I--”

 

“Let’s go, our order should be ready.” His voice was gruff, but his tone was softer than she had expected, but left no room for argument. He stalked to the door and held it open for her, his eyes watching the rest of the bar’s patrons as she exited the bar and walked toward the horses. He followed her out and let the door close behind him before exhaling deeply. 

 

“What’s wrong with you? Why’d ya have to taunt him?” He placed his hand on Bob’s flank, giving him a hearty pat as he looked up at Sadie, his expression more tired than mad.

 

“I didn’t think he was going to pull his gun, I...read him wrong…” Sadie wasn’t able to meet Arthur’s gaze, but she feels him move back and turn back toward where Ulysses is tethered nearby. “...I’m sorry.” Arthur stops, for a moment before pulling himself up into the saddle, his anger gone.

 

“I just don’t want nothin’ to happen to you because of your temper, I know what kind of trouble a temper can cause. Hell, I’m a shining example!” The quiet between them stretched on as Arthur spurred Ulysses down the road, Sadie following on Bob.

 

“I’ve just had this anger in me, since that night.” Sadie’s voice was quiet, Arthur pulled back on Ulysses reigns, slowing to match Bob’s pace. “It threatens to take me over sometimes, I don’t think there is anything left but this white hot rage. It’s a poison, Arthur, and I don’t know if there is a cure.” Her eyes were dark, unfocused, a million miles away. Arthur reached out and took Bob’s reigns from her, pulling them to a stop. 

 

“No.” His words were gentle, his hand moved to grasp her shoulder and turn her toward him. “Sadie, you have so much more than rage, I seen it.” He searched her eyes, his other hand finding purchase on her other shoulder. “You may not see it, but I do. In how you interact with Jack, you care so deeply for others. You’ve done so much, for those around you.”he paused. “For me. I know what you did today. I know you didn’t need me to come with you, but you insisted I come, because it’s what  _ I  _ needed. That don’t sound like someone poisoned with only rage.”

 

Sadie’s eyes refocused on him, he knew, of course he knew. Her shoulders shuddered, she wiped a sleeve across her face, her eyes met his.

 

“We’re quite a pair, ain’t we?” A smile played at the corner of her mouth. Arthur dropped his head and exhaled a chuckle.

 

“That we are Mrs. Adler, that we are.” He squeezed her shoulder before letting his arms drop a smile painted across his face that soon turned to a sheepish grin. “Let’s hope that tailor’s got my shirts ready, I think I popped a seam throwin’ that guy to the ground in the saloon.” 

 

Sadie let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head, they made their way toward the shop.


	5. The Wolf Among the Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry all for the delay, still in the process of moving, the next update may take a while as I will actually be mid move for the next few weeks instead of all that prep work. I hope it doesn't take me a full month to update, but in the meantime...cliffhanger and finally some crossover between friends. Thank you all for the comments, I love to hear that you're enjoying this! Definitely is going to start to get a bit more interesting now! ;)
> 
> Arthur has a lot on his plate, and something is spilling over.

The moon waned in its last quarter and sat high in the night sky when Charles, Bill, and Karen returned to camp. Only a few still remained by the fire as they dismounted and set the horses loose.

 

“I’m startin’ to think this family is as full of shit as they are of booze.” Karen’s tone was tired as she fed a sugar cube to Old Belle

 

“Dutch says there’s something there, just another part of his plan.” Bill quipped pushing past her and off toward his tent..

 

“What an asshole. Dutch has no idea, that family doesn’t have any money.” Charles grumbled under his breath. Karen took off toward the fire, stopping to grab a bottle of whiskey on the way. Charles followed suit slowly making his way toward the fire. He sat down next to Karen, turning toward her.

 

“You think either of these families got any money, or are we just wasting our time?” Charles gestured vaguely for her to pass the bottle, she threw back another swig before handing the bottle over.

 

“That family don’t have a pot to piss in. Why does Dutch having us wastin’ our time, especially with that idiot Bill. We ain’t ever gonna get information out of anyone with that dolt leading us around. But they sure as hell ain’t gonna talk to us..." she paused, "...a woman and a man of color, not this far south.” Karen waved her arm broadly in aggravation.

 

“Bill just doesn’t know what he’s doing and he’s too dumb to question anything anyone says to him.” Charles took a swig of whiskey and looked back to Karen shaking his head. “We need to get out of the South, no one in this town has money. Dutch and Hosea are blinded by the idea of some  _ Colonial Gold. _  They can’t see the fact that everyone here is in on it.” He took another long draw from the bottle before handing it back to Karen.

 

They finished off the bottle in comfortable silence, the warmth of the fire keeping the bite of the cool spring night in check. Charles sighed. It had been a long day, they had gotten no information from the lead Dutch had sent them on, the man was a drunk. It hadn’t helped that Bill had kept him drinking and neither of them had been sober enough to remember what they were meeting about. Karen got up, she looked over her shoulder at Charles.

 

“I’m gonna grab another bottle, you gonna stay up and drink with me?” Charles nodded at her, she was good company and he wasn’t quite ready to call it a night. Karen grabbed two bottles from the nearby crate before returning to the fire. Charles pulled some dried meat from his bag, offering some to Karen as she handed him a bottle. 

 

“You seem like you got a lot on your mind big guy, you were quiet on the ride back, everything okay?”

 

“The last couple weeks just seems like things are getting crazier, everything we go after has less merit. These families are playing us for the fool. Dutch and Hosea are struck by some made up story about pre-war riches. Something ain’t right here.” He sat back turning his eyes toward the stars and taking a long drag off the new bottle.

 

“You think we should be movin’ on too? I get these looks when I go to town, like they know who we are. Strauss said I was bein’ paranoid.” Karen glanced over at Charles, he had closed his eyes, his face still toward the stars. “I don’t like it down here, these people, they ain’t right.”

 

Charles tilted his head toward Karen, eyes still closed, he hummed an acknowledgement before taking another swig. He opened his eyes and met hers as they searched him for an answer.

 

“Me neither. This place, ain’t a friendly place for people like us.” Karen sighed, tipping her bottle to her lips. Both turned their attention back to the fire, silence once again settling between them. 

 

Charles eyes moved back to the sky, the moon was in it’s final quarter, coming up on the time he and Arthur would take one of their hunting trips. It had been a couple months since Charles had watched Arthur first shift. Arthur had taken to this much like everything else he tried, like it was a natural thing. Charles would be lying if he hadn’t been kind of annoyed at how easy this all seemed to be for him. 

 

His face flushed slightly, he took another draw from the bottle turning away from Karen slightly to hide the heat he felt fill his face. Arthur had also filled out, Charles knew it was to be expected, but Arthur had even done that to extreme. It had been gradual after that first week, but Arthur was definitely taller and broader. At some point he had surpassed even Dutch in height, not that anyone had seemed to notice. Another thing he had to give Arthur, the man knew how to hide himself in plain sight. 

 

While the majority of the camp was happy to call the man an idiot, a brute, Charles had seen past the veil. Hosea often scolded Arthur to stop playing dumb, and at first it had played as almost mean to Charles, but watching him over the past few month he saw it. Charles scoffed into the bottle, the man seemed to have no flaws, great. His wolf stirred, brazened by Charles’ intoxication, a deep voice growled.

 

**_You should tell him how you feel, he is a strong mate._ **

 

“It’s not like that, he’s my friend. He trusts me to help him learn about his wolf. He isn’t interested in a relationship beyond that.”

 

**_Fool yourself, but I feel your desires. And why shouldn’t he want to be with us. It’s a powerful partnership._ **

 

Charles chuckled darkly back to the wolf. “You’re just telling me what I want to hear.”

 

**_Perhaps, but you deny yourself so much when you have the power to take what you want. You humans worry too much about misreading emotions, smells are simpler, trust your nose._ **

 

Charles remained silent, the wolf wasn’t wrong. So much of humanity was fearing you had put your foot in your mouth. But trusting his nose meant giving in more to the wolf, risking the shift, for what? He shook his head, ending the conversation, the wolf growled in the back of his mind.

 

Charles stood and put his hand on Karen’s shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze, she returned from her own mind and glanced up at him a small smile played at her lips.

 

“I’m going to see if I can relieve anyone from patrol. You should get some sleep.” His voice was soft, and he offered her a hand.

 

“No you ain’t, you’ve been drinkin’. Let them keep us safe tonight, you can take over in the morning. You need sleep too Mr. Smith, you work too hard.” Karen gently placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. She shoved him gently toward the lean-to nearby and pointed to the empty pallet nearest to them. Her hand on her hip, she wagged a finger at him mockingly

 

“Yes, Ms. Jones.”  his tone dripped with sarcasm, she barked a quiet laugh at that, turning and waving an exaggerated arm in his direction.

 

“Good night Mr. Smith, let’s do this again sometime.” She trudged heavily toward her pallet near the women. Charles watched her as she left, a pang of guilt in not helping her to her tent flooded over him as she disappeared out of sight. He turned, and looked down at the empty pallet before turning back to glace at Arthur’s wagon, the light beside his cot glowed dimly in the darkness. 

 

He walked over to the wagon, he hadn’t spoken to Arthur in almost two weeks, things with the families had kept most of the camp on damn near a constant rotation in and out, they had less than a dozen words between them since the last hunting trip. He neared Arthur’s wagon to find the cot empty, he sighed before he turned and returned to his pallet. He’d leave a note tomorrow if Arthur didn’t return.

 

\---

 

The sound of laughter brought Charles back to consciousness. His head throbbed dully and the light was harsh as he opened his eyes. Arthur and Karen were gathered around the fire each nursing a cup of coffee. Charles groaned, sitting up, cursing himself for letting Karen talk him into drinking last night, he struggled to his feet, a large hand landing on his shoulder steadied him as he pitched forward slightly.

 

“Rough night, big man?” Arthur’s voice danced with laughter as he helped Charles steady himself. “Karen says you held your own, that woman is a monster. Lesson learned I guess?” He smacked down heavily on Charles’s back, his laughter resonated through Charles’s skull. 

 

Charles centered himself and looked up, Karen smiled wickedly over the top of her coffee cup, shooting him a wink and he groaned, Arthur handed him a coffee.

 

“You’re with me today, pulled some strings, figured it was time we caught up.” Arthur’s hand remained on Charles’s back, pushing him along as they walked toward the edge of camp. 

 

“Wait, no, what about Bill and Karen. They were supposed to be going back to talk to those idiots over at Caliga Hall. Bill is going to get them both killed!” He pushed back against Arthur’s hand, the light fog clouding his mind cleared quickly with the realization. Arthur stopped and turned to face Charles.

 

“We won’t be gone long, just a quick trip to town t’check out a lead from Trelawny while we pick up some supplies. Bill’s still passed out, he ain’t gonna be up before we’re back.” Arthur crossed his arms over his chest settling back onto his heels. 

 

Charles eyes moved up to meet his and his breath hitched slightly. Arthur felt no need to hide his height around the other man. The wolf growled in the back of Charles’s mind and he groaned to himself.  _ Pull yourself together, and never drink again _ , he pressed his point.

 

“I would feel better if I was there to help Karen should anything happen. I know you feel it too, these families, something ain’t right.” 

 

“Karen’ll be fine, she’s one o’the toughest gals I know! You ain’t got feelins’ for her now do ya, Charles?” His sly smile sent another pulse through Charles. “Bill’s an idiot, but he ain’t half bad in a fight.” he shifted his weight to one leg, leaning in slightly, his voice lower. “It’s almost time for our next big hunting trip.” Charles nodded and looked back at Karen still standing by the fire, seemingly in a heated debate with Sean.

 

He was never quite sure what Karen had seen in that man, he was a nice enough kid, but he wasn’t exactly a prince charming. He let out of a huff, still watching the argument flare between Karen and Sean, his tone uncertain.

 

“You’re sure we’ll be back before Bill wakes up?”

 

“Should be, we’re just grabbin’ some supplies from town and checking on a lead. Just wanted an excuse to talk in private.” Arthur backed up toward the horses, his eyes saying more that his words. Charles jogged to catch up with Arthur, the hesitation still pulled at the back of his mind.

 

They made their way out of camp, Arthur leading the way they wound their way through the trees. Charles spurred Taima forward alongside Arthur as they pulled farther from camp.

 

“How are you feeling? Any issues with control?” Charles gave Taima a pat as they continued toward town.

 

“I’m feeling great, honestly, feel like I’m 20 again.-- Can I ask you a question?” He turned his attention to Charles, a lopsided and nervous smile on his face.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Your wolf, does it talk to you?”

 

“Yes. Usually he is trying to get me to loosen my control. Why do you ask?”

 

“Mine chatters a lot, seems young, almost like a child...well pup I guess?” Charles glanced over to Arthur, that explained his ease of control. If his wolf was a pup he would listen a bit more as this was all new to him too. Charles smiled, so maybe it wasn’t all easy for Arthur. 

 

“A pup, that’s interesting. I guess since I’ve had mine since birth he just grew with me. Makes sense though, he is new to you.” Charles trailed off, lost within his own thoughts. They neared the town and Arthur’s focus shifted, his demeanor changing entirely as they entered the town his smile gone and his eyes hard.

 

“So, we need to go talk to this man...Julien. Trelawny says he is in that encampment just north o’the town.”

 

“What’s so important about him? Why are we wasting our time on this town.”

 

“Trelawny says he may be helpful to us beyond the bullshit with them families.” He waved his hand dismissively. “We also need t’pick up some supplies for camp, but let’s keep everything low key.”

 

“You trust Trelawny? He seems like a snake, how can you be sure he isn’t setting us up?” Charles eyebrows furrowed, his stare boring into Arthur.

 

“Trelawny may be a snake, but he and I have been workin’ together for years. Trelawny is always lookin’ out for himself above all, but he ain’t ever done me wrong. Worth at least a follow up.” Charles shook his head but remained silent, Arthur wasn’t one to trust easily, so he’d follow suit.

 

They skirted the outside of Rhodes as they head toward the cluster of caravan wagons. The roads relatively empty this morning, the camp had a few individuals lying around the fire in various states of intoxication. Arthur dropped down out of the saddle and approached a woman working out some soiled clothes in the wash bin, Charles watched him from Taima’s back.

 

“Excuse me, ma’am.” Arthur waited for her to turn, his hand resting lightly on his gun belt. She turned and glanced up at him, the wash dropping back into the bucket. “I am looking for a man named Julien? A friend of mine said he might be able to help me out, Mr. Trelawny?” Charles watched Arthur, impressed with how comfortable he made the woman, the menace he was capable of completely gone. 

 

“Ah! Mr. Trelawny!” Her accent was faintly Irish, maybe a generation or two removed from Ireland. “He is a funny one isn’t he, likes to put on a show.” She took in Arthur, standing to greet him appropriately. “Julien is kind of a private man, but let me see if he will take guests of Mr. Trelawny.” She dusted the dirt from her apron and pointed to a nearby caravan porch. “That one is Mr. Trelawny’s if you want to sit and wait while I see about Julien.” She quickly disappeared around one of the nearby caravans. Arthur turned back to Charles and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“So this is where he’s been holed up.” Arthur hopped up the steps, quickly testing the door, locked of course. He dropped himself into the chair next to the door. “Ain’t surprising that he would lodge himself in a place like this, hiding in plain sight.” He chuckled and spread his legs out in front of him leaning back to wait. Charles dismounted and strolled up the stairs to join Arthur, leaning against the railing opposite Arthur.

 

“So why doesn’t Trelawny stay with the gang in camp?”

 

“It’s something he worked out with Dutch. I ain’t entirely sure, but it benefits both parties that people don’t seem to know we’re workin’ together.”

 

The woman appeared again from between the caravans and the men turned their attention to her, ending their conversation. She beckoned them to follow her, and turned back walking back the way she came.

 

Charles pushed himself off the railing and followed the woman down the stairs, Arthur following closely behind him. They followed her to the back on the camp and to a small table, gesturing for them to sit.

 

“I’ll go get Julien, he is interested in what you have to sell.” She turned and disappeared again, Arthur glanced over at Charles raising his eyebrows slightly in intrigue. She returned quickly with a man in tow, stopping just short of the table. The man bowed his head slightly and sat across from Arthur.

 

“Trelawny sent you to do business, what are you looking to unload? I deal in unique and procured pieces, no questions asked.” Arthur reached into his satchel, pulling out a pair of golden pocket watches, laying them on the table.

“So you may be interested in these?” Julien’s eyes remained on Arthur as he picked up one of the watches, looking down and inspecting it closely. His eyes scanned over the engraving along the back.

 

“This is a very nice piece, am I to assume you’re not the original owner?” Arthur nodded.

 

“Can’t imagine the owner would miss it too much.” Julien smiled, no misunderstanding there.

 

“Well, I’m happy to help should you find yourself in possession of other like items. I also sell some items that you may not be able to find in town.” Arthur glanced over at Charles, curiosity painting his face. Charles gestured to Julien before speaking lowly.

 

“What kind of items, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“Mostly recipes, explosives, specialized arrows, unique ammo. We sell all kinds of items, trinkets as well, if you believe in that kind of thing.” Julien eyed Charles, unsure what to make of the stoic man.

 

“Unique ammo?”

 

“Explosive rounds, silver bullets, salted buckshot. We have had an increase recently in need for these. There are those claiming to have seen  _ supernatural beings _ . With rumors of a vampire in St. Denis, claims of ghosts in the Bluewater Marsh, whole lot of weird happenins’ ‘round here lately. It’d be a crime not to offer what help we can.” His tone belaying his opinion on the supernatural sightings.

 

The two men held their composure each exchanging a mildly confused glances, Julien chuckled. 

 

“I see you two don’t believe either. Some even say they saw some huge wolves up near Big Valley a few months back, bigger than any they ever saw.” He waved his hand at them. “Hogwash, all of it. But I ain’t one to deny my valued customers the ammo they want.” Arthur raised an eyebrow.

 

“So, you’re swindlin’ these folk?” Charles pressed.

 

“Ain’t one to talk, you expect me to believe ya’ll just found them watches? How I make my money is between me and God, same as you.” Arthur raised his hands.

 

“We ain’t here to judge, just curious if anyone has used any the rounds they bought.” He paused. “And the results.” Arthur knew the answer, but it was good an excuse as any. Julien smiled and shook his head. 

 

“None have returned yet, but these are pretty new offerings. If they have returned by the next time you come through, I’ll surely have tales to share.” The men nodded, pushing back from the table heading back to the horses.

  
  


They made their way to the general store and picked up the supplies for camp quickly, strapping them to the horses and started the journey back. They tried to spend as little time as possible in town. The feeling of eyes on them, making the hair on the backs of their necks rise, the wolves on edge in the back of their minds. They rode out of town, making sure not to push the horses too hard as they haul the supplies back to camp. They rode in silence for a while, each keeping their senses about them, still not trusting the town and it’s people. 

 

“Hey, you ever notice anything strange about Sadie?” Arthur’s brow furrowed as he spoke.

 

“Most of the time she keeps to herself, she’s a hard one to read. Why?”

 

“My wolf, he chatters about her a lot. Says she would make a good mate. Do they normally talk about non-wolves like that? He’s a pup so I don’t take much stock in what he says, but there was also the time that she even got him on edge. You think maybe she could be a wolf? How’d you know I was?”

 

“Wait, you think Sadie might be a wolf? Your wolf says she’d make a good mate? You got feelings for her Arthur?” Charles pulled up on the reigns bringing Taima to a stop

 

“No, nothin’ like that. He just chatters about her when she’s around.” He circled Ulysses around to face Charles. “But...when she got mad the other day, I don’t know, there was a danger behind her words. Got the hairs t’stand up on the back of my neck.” 

 

“She has a fire in her, that’s for sure. Ain’t sure that proves she is a wolf.” Charles leaned heavily onto the saddle horn, watching Arthur.

 

“I ain’t scared of much, but that woman, she ain’t scared of anything. I got a feeling when she threatened someone, same as when I first saw you shift, that feeling of being close to a predator. I don’t exactly know how to explain it.”

 

“My wolf form scared you?” Charles seemed surprised and amused, he hadn’t felt that fear when he shifted.

 

“You turned into a huge wolf in front of me, ain’t exactly an everyday occurrence.” His voice cracked. Charles laughed, he couldn’t help himself, it was just such an outlandish situation. Arthur shot him a look before sharing in the laugh. The mood relaxed, the men both finally able to shake the feeling of unease being near the town. The trip back was quick, the boys unloaded the supplies with Pearson and the women. Arthur nudged Charles with his shoulder as they unloaded the last of the supplies.

 

“Told ya we’d be back before Bill was up.” His eyes directing Charles attention to Bill sleeping still on his pallet, a bottle nestled against this chest. “That boy ain’t ever been up before noon of his own volition.” He chuckled and walked over to give Bill a kick.

 

“Get up ya lazy piece a shit! Yer wastin’ more than just your own time. Get up and get to work!” Arthur hissed angrily, pulling less of his kick than he intended. Charles turned to find Karen, catching her eye as he neared the fire. 

 

“Where’d you two get off to this mornin’?” She placed her hand on her hip.

 

“Just grabbed some supplies from town, Arthur just needed an extra hand.” He leaned over to pour himself a coffee as he came up. “Things okay here?”

 

“Didn’t think to invite me? I’m bored outta my mind here in camp.” 

 

“It was just a quick trip, and you seemed busy.” Charles took a sip from his coffee, taking a seat near the fire.

 

“What you mean by that?” 

 

“Nothing.” He muttered quietly. “I just--What do you see in him, seems as if you’re always fighting.”  Karen scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest. 

 

“It’s none of your business!”

 

“I don’t mean to offend, just doesn’t seem like you’re happy. You deserve to be happy, Karen.” Karen was  taken aback, her arms fell to her sides. Before she could respond Bill shoved Charles shoulder as he reached the fire, cursing under his breath.

 

“God damn Morgan. You two better be ready to head out right away!” He threw back the coffee and stormed away, slamming his shoulder into Arther as he passed, knocking himself off balance more than Arthur, who chuckled as he came up to the fire.

 

“Princess wasn’t ready to get up.” He poured himself another cup of coffee and retreated to stand next to Karen. “How you doin’, Karen?” 

 

“Fine.” Karen snipped, her head snapping toward Charles. Arthur’s eyes followed her head, taking a sip from his coffee his eyes landed on Charles. Arthur chuckled into his coffee as Charles eyes begged him for help. 

 

“Well, alright. I’ll catch you both later, I’ve got some things I need to take care of before it gets too late.” He shot them both a quick wave, a smirk on his face as he passed Charles whose eyes narrowed as he passed. Charles grumbled  under his breath as Arthur passed, he ignored him and continued over toward Dutch.

 

“Mornin’ Dutch!” His voice cheerful as he made his way over to the tent.

 

“Arthur! How are you this morning my boy?” Dutch’s voice boomed across the camp, his gestures grand and almost comical. He gave Arthur a pat on his shoulder, pulling him close to his chest. “Where have you been? Haven’t seen you around much.”

 

“I’m fine, Dutch. Keepin’ busy, chasin’ leads and keeping us supplied.” Dutch squeezed Arthur’s shoulders releasing him and taking a step back. Arthur chuckled lifting his cup to his lips and finishing his coffee. “You’re sure in a good mood, what’s got you so cheery?” 

 

Dutch stepped back taking a seat in his tent. He reached for a cigar on the table nearby. Arthur joined him, pulling a cigarette and match from a pack in his pocket. He struck the match against the tent frame and lit his cigarette before putting the match to the end of the cigar. 

 

“Well son, I think I finally figured out where those Grey idiots are keepin’ their gold. Sent John and Sean over to investigate. Gonna send Bill, Charles, and Karen to check on a lead over at the Braithwaite’s place. If we can get take them both for whatever they got we can get the hell out of this god forsaken swamp and go somewhere far from the Pinkertons, and farther still from these inbred families!”

 

“Dutch, you sure about this? I was just with Charles in town, ain’t seem too friendly ‘round here for us. We should be careful.”  Arthur took a drag off his cigarette, shaking his head. “I ain’t ever felt so unwelcome in a town without knowin’ what I did.” He turned to face Dutch. Dutch’s eyes were dark and cold, the smoke from the cigar curled around his face.

 

“Why were you is town this morning? _What_ _were you two doin’?_ ” He punctuated each word.

 

“Pearson needed supplies, we were picking some things up! Checking on a lead from Trelawny. Nothin’ else, we were in and out in an hour tops!” Arthur stepped forward his hands raised defensively.

 

“You didn’t think I’d need to know?” Dutch seethed, he stood up attempting to loom over Arthur. Just like he did when he was a child, a tactic that had worked for so long to keep the son in line. Arthur shied away instinctively, Dutch towering over him as he leaned back.

 

“Didn’t think it was important.” He muttered.

 

“That’s right, you didn’t think, Arthur! You  _ never  _ THINK! Too busy stuffin’ your face I assume! Jesus, Arthur!” He jabbed his finger into Arthur’s chest.

 

**_Why do you let him say this?_ ** The wolf roared in the back of his mind. 

 

Dutch dug his finger further into Arthur’s chest waiting for a response. The white hot heat burned behind Arthur’s eyes, his jaw clenched tight, all of his energy going into holding the wolf back 

 

_ “ _ We can’t do this now. _ ”  _ Arthur snarled through gritted teeth a warning to both. He pushed himself against Dutch’s finger rising to his full height. He shoved Dutch back, turned and stalked out of the tent. 

 

**_DANGER!!_ ** The wolves yelped simultaneously. Sadie turned toward the center of camp, her eyes scanning for anything she moved closer toward the commotion. Charles stood and spun around to Arthur, catching him just as he stormed out of Dutch’s tent. Charles moved quickly to follow Arthur without drawing attention. Dutch staggered back, his expression wild. He followed Arthur out of the tent, yelling after him.

 

“We ain’t done talking, son!” His voice carrying across the camp. “What do you have to say for yourself?” Sadie’s eyes moved from Dutch to Arthur, the hair on her neck standing on end.

 

Arthur felt his control slipping, his jaw ached, he blocked out everything else except one foot in front of the other. The wolf clawing at the back of his mind, confusion and anger mixing together as the young wolf desperately sought answers. He thought he heard someone call to him through the pounding of blood in his ears. 

 

“Buddy, we can’t do this here. Just wait.” The wolf’s anger mixing with his own. His focus remained on the treeline, whatever they were saying was drowned out by the pounding in his head.  _ Make it to the trees, that’s all we have to do, then we can run. _

 

Commotion had stirred around Dutch in the center of camp, the gang had gathered to see what the argument was, Hosea had wrangled Dutch, his voice soothing as he tried to restore the peace. Sadie approached, trying to piece together what happened, the feeling of danger didn’t seem to be here, her eyes flicked to where Arthur and Charles disappeared. 

 

**_Wolf?_ ** The voice in her head offered. __

 

“Or something else?” She responded before returning her attention back to Dutch trying to listen to the conversation.

 

“What was that all about?” Hosea voice was soothing but tinged with concern. “What did you do?”

 

“What did _I_ do? Why don’t you ask our son? He may have ruined our entire plan. Because he didn’t think his little trip to town was important to mention to me.” Hosea snorted indignantly. 

 

“You think he did this on purpose?”

 

“I don’t know, Hosea. That boy has been tryin’ to sabotage our plans for weeks now.”  Hosea cocked an eyebrow at Dutch, his tone incredulous.

 

“You think he is purposely tryin’ to sabotage us...Arthur?” Hosea waited, he was sure that Dutch was just upset. Arthur would never. Sure the boy disagreed with some of their recent pursuits, hell Hosea himself had, but he knew it would be bad for everyone for them not to succeed. Arthur thought the same, there was no doubt in Hosea’s mind on that.

 

“He…” Dutch faltered under Hosea’s gaze. He didn’t have a good answer. He turned back into his tent, Hosea following after him. “It’s just so god damn frustrating, always questioning our plans.” Hosea smiled, putting his hand on Dutch’s shoulder.

 

“Like you’ve never questioned a plan I had, or me you. It’s reasonable for him to express his concerns. You can’t expect him to follow blindly, he has to grow up. You trust his plans normally, so why would today be different? What’s really going on?”

 

Charles called to Arthur as they passed the treeline, his voice becoming more frantic as Arthur’s form shimmered. His voice was barely above a whisper at first, he reached out and grabbed Arthur’s arm.

 

“Arthur?!” Charles’s voice cracked. “Wh-what...how are you?” His eyes wide looking up at Arthur. Arthur didn’t stop, dragging Charles with him, he growled lowly his jaw clenched and his eyes pressed tightly closed. “Arthur!” Charles shouted, planting his feet to try and stop Arthur.

 

“Where are we going? We have to stop. Charles. He needs us to stop.”

 

**_We?_ **

 

“Of course we. What else would I say?”

 

**_Nothing, just stop. We are in control._ ** Confusion washed over Arthur and he slowed to a stop. Charles still clung to his arm.

 

“This feels different than before.”

 

**_Before it was all you or all me. Now it is we._ ** Charles shouts filtered in, the pulsing anger ebbing, he looked down at Charles.  _ Wait. Down, too far down? _ Charles eyes were wide, and his gestures were frantic. Arthur focused in on what he was saying, pulling himself back.

 

“Arthur, what the hell! How are you doing that? What is going on?” 

 

Arthur hung his head and pulled back. Of course Charles was upset, he wasn’t able to hold his control. He shifted too close to camp, endangering everyone. He had let Dutch get to him, the snide comment about his weight had been too much.  _ Stupid Morgan what are you five?  _ Now there was the risk that someone figured out they were wolves. Would they have to leave? Would Charles stick around him if he couldn’t control his shifts? He looked back to Charles, eyes still wide but standing more calmly, his body language still nervous.

 

“Can...you speak?” Charles continued to stare. Arthur didn’t know, he hadn’t thought to ask before. He tried to communicate like he did his wolf, sending his thoughts out. Charles remained unmoving, clearly no connection there. He shook his head back at Charles, it would have to be body language, as much as a wolf could muster.

 

Charles stepped forward, he reached out, touching Arthur’s arm. He pulled it toward him, flipping Arthur’s hand to face his palm up. It clicked. Arthur looked down, his arms coated in a thick tawny fur, his hands were massive and clawed, not at all a paw. He took a step back, pulling his arm back, his breathing becoming erratic. Charles tensed and stepped back as well.

 

_“_ What is this, why are we not a wolf?” 

 

**_We are. And a man. We are us._ **

 

“Yes, but this…” Arthur gestured. “...is new. What is this?”

 

**_Us._ **

 

“Arthur! Look at me! You need to relax! Breathe! What is happening? Are you hurt?” Charles held his hands up, trying to pull Arthur back out of his own head. Arthur’s eyes shifted back to Charles. He stared down at his own hands and the rest of himself. He was taller, he looked back down to Charles, definitely taller. Large clawed fingers replaced his own hands, thick hair covered his arms, it peeked out of the sleeves of his shirt, that clung to him like a second skin. He grumbled and clumsily tried to undo the buttons, claws making it difficult. He didn’t really want to buy another new shirt, he liked this one, Sadie had picked it out. She would ask where it was.

 

“Here, let me.” Charles pushed Arthur’s hands out of the way. “How are you doing that?” Charles quickly undid the buttons and stepped back, the shirt open revealed the fur seemingly covered his whole body. Arthur shrugged, he didn’t know how he was doing this...or even what  _ this _ was. He needed Charles to explain this, he was the one who had been a wolf his whole life!

 

He began to pace, anxiety rising again in his chest. What was happening? What did the pup mean by “Us”? Why was he in some kind of half shift? He stopped and turned to Charles, grabbing his shoulders and lifting him slightly off his feet. His eyes met Charles, filled with questions, he prayed that Charles understood.

 

“You have to calm down, you are in control. Shift back. Just like with the wolf, will yourself to shift!” Charles’s voice wavered, he shifted uncomfortably in Arthur’s grasp. 

 

Arthur cocked his head to the side, seeing the discomfort in Charles face, he furrowed his brow and released his grip. Charles dropped to the ground landing heavily on his heels. He shook out his arms as the blood started to flow back into them. Arthur looked back at him like a kicked puppy.

 

“No harm, big guy. C-can you shift back?” He circled around Arthur, looking him up and down. The fear faded from his eyes, awe taking its place. Arthur slumped under the scrutiny, his eyes following Charles. 

 

Okay, so Charles also had no clue what was happening, that isn’t ideal. He looked back down at his hands, they had made Charles seems so small, holding him there, as if he was weightless. His focus shifted to his feet, he huffed, his boots were in tatters, Large furry paws bursting out of the boots. He reached down and used a claw to tear the rest of the leather, stepping out of them. Charles chuckled from behind him, he growled in response. 

 

Arthur closed his eyes, he felt the presence of the wolf but it was different, he was harder to distinguish. He called out to the wolf.

 

“How do we shift back?”

 

**_You don’t want to be us?_ ** The voice was small and upset. Arthur felt a wave of sadness wash over him and his own heart sank.

 

“Of course I do, but it’s not safe here. We have to be careful, we are too close to others. I don’t wan--” 

 

Arthur froze, a new smell reaching his nose, he turned back toward camp, his hackles rising he took a step backward shrinking down. Charles glanced to Arthur before turning and looking toward the trees. Turning back, Arthur is gone, he finds himself alone in the trees. The faint sound of footfalls reaches Charles just as Sadie pushed her way through the brush her repeater out, dropping it to her side as she spots Charles.

 

“Arthur out here? I saw he stalked off, wanted to make sure he was okay. He seemed real upset.” Her tone even, shouldering her gun.

 

“I lost him as soon as we hit the trees, I’ve been tracking him, but the trails here are messy. I don’t think he wants to be found.” Charles lied. Sadie cocked a brow.

 

“I’m afraid to leave him alone, it’s been a rough couple’a months. Seems as if he could use a friend.” Her tone was gentle but firm, Charles felt the concern as she moved closer to him. “Maybe we can look together?” She reached out placing a hand on his arm.

 

“I doubt we will find him.” Charles shook his head, putting a hand over hers and squeezing gently. “I have tried, he knows how to disappear. He will come back when he is ready, when he wants to talk.” 

 

“It was Dutch, but I didn’t see what happened.” Sadie looked up at Charles, a frown spread across her face.

 

“I don’t know, I heard the yelling and saw him rush out of camp. Come on, he’ll come back, all we can do is wait.” Charles released her hand, taking a moment to glance over his shoulder and scan the trees behind Sadie once more. He turned and walked into the trees leading back toward camp. Sadie closed her eyes and listened as Charles footfalls disappeared into the distance, only the sound of the wind through the trees remained. She took a deep breath, the various smells hitting her, the smell of damp earth almost overwhelming, but nothing else hung in the air. 

 

**_He is gone._ ** The wolf growled in her mind. 

  
_ No one just disappears, Charles knows something _ . She glanced over her shoulder staring into the dark woods, the stillness and quiet eerie and unnatural, Sadie sighed and followed Charles back to the camp. 


	6. A Change in the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tries to figure out what is happening. Sadie's suspicions are confirmed and Charles tries to come to terms with all that he thought he knew may not be the only way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay everyone, just finished a interstate move and things have been a little slow. Should have more time now for chapters. :)
> 
> Thank you all for the kind comments and notes, I love to hear from you all. <3

Arthur ran deeper into the trees, slinking to keep himself in the darkness of the brush. That had been too close, he was thankful for the wolf’s nose, he hadn’t heard Sadie until it was almost too late.

**_Her! Why did you run? You like her._ **

Arthur hesitated, unsure how to answer in a way he would understand.

“I-I don’t want to scare her, she doesn’t know about us.” Confusion bubbled in the back of his mind as the wolf processed his answer.

**_Why not? Scare her? Why would she be scared? She is friend._ **

He continued to move away from the camp, his nerves on end as he slunk through the shadows. He heard the sounds of the road through the trees, he slowed his movement and dropped down onto his haunches near a cluster of boulders. He ran his hands through his hair, breathing heavily, his nerves frayed, the wolf pressed his question.

**_Are...we scary?_ **

“I don’t know…” He paused, thinking how to explain. “...we are different. Different can be scary. So for now, we hide.” The sadness flooded over him, Arthur winced, the wolf stayed quiet. “Different isn’t bad though…” His voice was soft as he tried to find the right words. “...I’d rather us be different.”

There was no response from the wolf, Arthur sighed. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Arthur tried to center himself, the adrenaline slowly wearing off, replaced with an intense hunger. He growled, he was used to feeling more hungry after a shift, this hunger was more intense. No use clearing out his food stores for this. He was going to need something more substantial. He lifted his head to smell the air. He felt the wolf stir, unable to mask the excitement about the possibility of a hunt. 

**_Deer!_ **

Arthur smiled, letting the wolf instincts take over. He stalked the herd, moving silently and letting the pup take the lead. The warmth from the blood coated his chest, the deer’s cries choked to a stop. Arthur felt the hunger slowly ebb, the wolf feeling satisfied. He wandered in the trees for a while, keeping to the shadows as he tried to figure out a way to shift back. He eventually found his way to a small creek in the trees, using the water to wash the blood from his chest and face, shaking the excess off. He sat back on his haunches centering himself he reached out to the wolf.

“Are you okay? I am sorry about earlier, I panicked.” 

He sat quietly, waiting, focusing on trying to shift back. The wolf remained silent in the back of his mind. Arthur huffed gently, focusing his attention on his hands. He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. Thinking about his form and willing himself to morph back. Minutes pass, the sounds of the creek began to fade, a wave of calm washed over him. He opened his eyes, the sounds of the creek returning to his ears, his eyes refocus on his hands and his brow furrows. Large clawed hands are still gathered in his lap, he growled and punched his hand into the soft soil along the creek bed. 

_ What do I need to do, I don’t understand, what is happening? _ The anger bubbled in his chest, he stood and began to pace along the creek. The wind changed and Arthur caught a new smell, familiar. His ears flattened and he dropped down shrinking as low as he could. He scanned the trees toward where the smell came. Nothing moved but the smell popped up again, stronger this time. The large dark wolf appeared from the trees, nose to the ground and Arthur felt his whole body relax. He stood up. The wolf lifted its head at the movement, catching sight of Arthur it trotted over, looking up at him.

Arthur cocked his head, staring down at the wolf. He sat down next to the wolf who rose and began to smell around him. Arthur flattened his ears, the feeling that he was being read like an open book didn’t sit well with him, and knowing that he couldn’t explain himself made it worse. The wolf stopped in front of Arthur, looking up at him, it snorted as if to tell Arthur to calm down. It sat down again in front of Arthur and nodded. Staring at him, the wolf sat motionless as if waiting for Arthur to take the lead.

Arthur whimpered, looking down at the wolf he shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arms around his legs. He dropped his head onto his arms and huffed in aggravation. There was a light tread of feet, he didn't even bother to raise his head. He knew Charles would be gone, he would return, until then Arthur would happily self loath.

“Hey bud, I could really use your help with this. Sure you’re probably still upset with me, but it’d be much appreciated.” He mumbled, calling desperately out to the wolf again.

**_Relax. Breathe. Focus and shift._ **

The sound of light footfalls reached his ears, Charles had returned, he grumbled lowly to let Charles know he was aware of him. Arthur didn’t move, his head still resting on his arms, eyes closed.

“Are you just like this now?” Charles stopped next to Arthur dropping down to kneel next to him. He put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur shrugged it off and took a deep breath, his head still down. Charles pushed himself back onto his haunches, quietly watching Arthur’s back rise and fall. 

_ What will we do if he is unable to shift back? How would it be explained to the gang? Arthur wouldn’t just leave and never come back. He could say he got killed, but that would be a hard sell too. He got into a fight in town because he was mad?  _ Charles’s eyes stayed on Arthur, his chest tightening.  _ Will you go with him? _

Charles closed his eyes. Of course he would. Arthur was the closest connection he had in the gang, and they shared this bond now, they were a pack. 

The words from Arthur’s wolf echoed in his mind, he tried again to center himself. He felt Charles next to him, knowing that he came to find him made his heart swell. He relaxed his breathing, heavy breaths slowly became more controlled. His mind focused in on getting back to the gang, his family, seeing them again. 

The heavy breathing next to Charles slowly faded and he slowly opened his eyes. Arthur’s form took shape, his head still laid across his arms, his knees tucked up to his chest.

“Welcome back.” 

Arthur’s head shot up, looking down at himself.

“HA HA!” He rocked forward launching himself up, he spun around. “I ain’t ever takin’ talking for granted ever again!” Arthur turns back toward Charles, a huge smile lighting up his face, the relief apparent.

“That so?” A laugh escaped him as he watched Arthur inspect himself for anything out of the ordinary before buttoning up his shirt and tucking it in. Looking down at his feet he sighed, remembering that his boots had been destroyed. 

“Yeah. -- Hey, how come you never told me we could shift like that?”

“Because we can’t.” Arthur’s eyes flicked to Charles, his brow furrowed.

“Whad’ya mean ‘we can’t’?” He crossed his arms over his chest the frown deepening as he waited for Charles to explain.

“I mean, I’ve never seen that before.” 

“Okay, so what the hell was that?”

“I was going to ask you! What  _ the hell _ was that?” Charles stood up, closing the distance between them. “How did you do that?”

“Hell if I know!” Arthur’s voice cracked. “I ain’t the one whose lived his whole life as a wolf!”

“What did it feel like?” The rapid fire questions caused anxiety to build in Arthur’s chest. “Clearly you were in control, but were you fighting the wolf?” Charles was close now, almost too close, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“I felt like me. Hell, I didn’t even know until you said something.” Arthur scratched at his chin. “I asked the wolf, all he said was ‘This is us.’”

“Us?” Charles repeated. “That doesn’t make sense.” He crossed his arms, his gaze unfocused. “You and the wolf are two separate entities, you can’t be an ‘us’. You are you and the wolf is the wolf.” Charles worried his lip as he thought. Arthur’s gaze was on him now, a look of confusion on his face.

“We are a team though, we work together and his opinions matter, his choices matter. We’re in this together, don’t your wolf give you his opinion?”

“He does, but he is more like a devil on my shoulder. He tells me about what he thinks we should do, what is best for us, but maybe not the best for the group.” Arthur’s gaze dropped as he thought more on this, was it because his wolf was a pup?

“Mine suggests things, but generally he asks what I think, even when we are shifted. -- He listens, we learn from each other. -- Do you think it’s because he’s a pup?”  His brow arched and he slowly moved his gaze back to Charles.

“It could be, but I’ve never heard of it working like that.”

“It’s a partnership though, you said that yourself. Partnerships mean trust, faith that the other side has yer back and respect for their opinions.”

Charles began to pace along the creek deep in thought. Arthur watched him, unsure if he should press the issue. Was he doing this wrong? Was he supposed to suppress the wolf? Control him? It seemed wrong, because they were in this together, but it made sense for Charles. The man preferred to work alone, keeping people at a distance. 

He thought about it, beyond the talk they had about him being a wolf, what else did he really know about Charles? His mom was taken when he was young, he ran away as a teen, but what else had he done. Had he been alone that entire time? Arthur leaned back against the rocks, he hadn’t really shared much with Charles either, it had been almost a year since he joined up with them. 

Things had changed so quickly the last couple months, if it hadn’t been for Charles he can’t imagine how much differently things would have gone. Would he have had to leave the gang, or worse...would he have killed them the first time he shifted? He owed Charles so much and had no idea how to begin to repay him. 

Charles tried to wrap his head around what Arthur had said. He had always treated the wolf almost like a parasite. The relationship was a symbiotic one, but more often than not their opinions differed. Had there been the chance when he was younger to shape the wolf? Had the fear instilled in him that he could lose himself to the wolf had kept him from creating that bond that Arthur was fostering? He stopped, his arms falling to his side.

“Can I ask you something?”

**_Of course._ **

“Did you know about the half shift, that we were capable of that?”

**_No._ **

“Have you heard that before?”

**_Not that I can recall. Though it has been a long time since we have encountered another wolf._ **

Charles huffed in frustration. 

**_But, I suppose there is no reason it cannot be possible. If the two souls were truly in tune._ **

Charles brow furrowed in deep thought.  _ Souls in tune _ . He and his wolf had been together since birth. Grown together, experienced life together but never had he felt a true bond with it. He had always thought of their relationship as two sides of a coin, but what if that wasn’t true. He turned and looked at Arthur, the way he talked about his wolf, about the growth, the trust they had built. 

Arthur had seemed happier the last few months, despite everything crumbling around them, his confidence was definitely higher. Was that the wolf’s doing as well? He focused on the other man, taking him in and studying him, slowly making his way back.

“Arthur, tell me about your relationship with your wolf.” Arthur looked up as Charles joined him by the rocks. Arthur felt Charles’s gaze on him, dropping his eyes and looking at his feet.

“I don’t know what I can tell you that you ain’t already aware of.” He pushed himself up from the rocks and shrugged, hooking his hands into his belt. “He talks to me, we learn from each other. He is a happy pup, I hate to feel him upset so I have been working to not let m--”

“You can feel him? His emotions?” Charles put his hand out, trying to get Arthur to meet his eyes.

“Uhh...yeah -- His happiness bubbles over, it’s...quite a feeling.” He paused. “But, when he is disappointed or sad…” He took a deep breath trying to find the right words. “...it’s heartbreaking.” He stared into Charles’s eyes. “Worse when I am the cause. I ain’t ever want him to feel that way, not if I can avoid it.” He broke his gaze, rubbing his arm sheepishly as he stepped forward past Charles. “It’s silly I know, that is how the world is, but he is just so young.”

“It’s not silly, Arthur. Children deserve to be free of the darkness in this world, at least for a while. Like Jack. Jack is lucky, he has a family that loves him and keeps him from most of that darkness. I’ve seen you with him, so it’s no surprise you would treat your wolf the same.” Charles eyes followed Arthur.

“Wait.” Arthur turned back to Charles. “Do you not feel what your wolf feels?” 

“I feel when he is hungry. I feel the pressure when he pushes to take over. I don’t feel his emotions.” A sadness grew in Arthur, the wolf listening to their exchange, he felt the pup stir in the back of his mind pushing him to reach out to Charles. 

**_Alone, yet together?_** **_Why?_**

Arthur shrugged slightly before resuming the conversation with Charles.

“He wants to know why you go through it together, yet alone?” Charles shifted his weight as Arthur’s gaze bore into him.

“I was taught that the wolf and I would fight for power and it was meant to be controlled. That it would tempt me, so I feared talking to him, unless it was needed. We hold each other in mutual respect.” Confusion welled in Arthur, the wolf trying to understand. He tried to reassure the wolf, his voice soft.

“Each relationship is unique, but we are truly somethin’ special. We won’t understand every relationship, but we can accept ‘em.” The wolf settled and the confusion ebbed, Arthur gave a half smile.

“Ain’t no directions for this, like you said.” Arthur gently placed his hand on Charles shoulder. “We should probably be gettin’ back.” He turned and began walking back the way he came, slowing to a stop, he turned back. “You...know where we are?”

Charles shook his head, taking the lead as they worked their way back toward the camp, their conversation turning to planning their hunting trip. 

\---

It hadn’t escaped Sadie that Charles had disappeared shortly after they returned to camp. She kicked herself for letting him slink away, she knew he was going after Arthur and she wished he would have just let her go with him. He was her friend too, and she knew a thing or two about where he might go. She stalked to the edge of camp, settling down near the scout fire closest to where Arthur had disappeared into the woods her eyes trained on the treeline. As time passed she set to cleaning her weapons each minute making her more anxious. 

**_Why not go find them? It would be easy._ **

“Ain’t gonna go where I ain’t wanted.” She growled in response. 

She turned the repeater over in her hands, scrubbing the oil soaked rag roughly against the metal. She finished and put the rag away in her satchel, placing the gun at her side against the log. The wind changed, she turned her head as a familiar smell passed her nose and the boys appeared from among the trees. To her right she heard the footsteps of someone approaching, she shifted her eyes across as Karen joined her at the fire.

“Who stepped on your puppy?” Karen pulled a bottle from her skirt before taking a swig and offering the bottle to Sadie. Sadie turned her attention to Karen, her face twisted in confusion.

“What’s that now?” Sadie hesitantly took the bottle from her. 

“You just look like somethin’s got you in a foul mood, what’s wrong?” Karen shoved her shoulder into Sadie gently. “You know them boys ain’t worth bein’ angry over.” Her eyes moving to Charles and Arthur as they passed.

“It ain’t nothin’ like that, just thinkin’.” Karen shook her head a bit. “You’re one to talk, I saw you n’Charles gettin’ into it the other day.” Sadie took a swig from the bottle.

“I was just mad they ain’t ever invite me out with them and Charles got personal.”

“They have been spendin’ a lot of time together lately, ain’t they?” Sadie handed the bottle back to Karen, her eyes lingering on the bottle before flicking them up to meet Karen’s. Karen scoffed.

“Those two and their ‘huntin trips’.” She took a sip from the bottle. “You thinkin’ they foolin’ around or something?” Sadie snorted, caught off-guard by Karen’s comment.

“I-I don’t know!” She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. “You ever asked to join ‘em?” 

She liked Karen. In the months since she joined the gang she had found that her and Karen could talk on most anything. They had a lot in common, it was nice to find someone who spoke their mind as much as she did. She didn’t shy away from standing up for herself. They could talk frankly and it was refreshing to be among other strong women. 

“Nah, ain’t ever pressed it.” Karen took another swig from the bottle, offering it to Sadie. She declined.

“Well, let’s see how private these trips are!” She pushed herself up, slinging her repeater onto her shoulder. She waved her goodbyes to Karen and stalked off toward the men who had stopped just outside of camp.

The trip back had been productive, their hunting trip planned for the next week, Charles gave Arthur a pat on the shoulder. He turned to return to camp, running squarely into Sadie.

“Ah shit! I’m so sorry, Mrs. Adler!” Charles stumbled back, reaching out to steady Sadie. He quickly pulled his hands back this expression sheepish. “I’m sorry!” Sadie took a moment to catch her breath, she hadn’t expected Charles to turn away so quickly and he was so solid. 

“My fault, Charles. I shoulda said something.” She smiled at him. “Looks like you found Arthur, everything okay?” Arthur joined them as Charles opened his mouth to answer.

“I’m fine, just needed some time t’clear my head. Ain’t no need to worry.” Arthur smiled down at her, his eyes moving slowly to the repeater on her shoulder. “What’s that for? You goin’ huntin'? You goin’ alone?” Sadie heard the concern creeping into his voice. 

“Maybe, ain’t much else to do here, and you two sure ain’t huntin’.” She put her hand on hip, her tone mocking. 

“We was just planning our big huntin’ trip for next week!” Arthur shot back. “It’s been a bit busy ‘round here with everyone out workin’ jobs for those families.” 

“Can I go with ya next week?” Sadie smirked, she had been hoping for the opening, and Arthur really just opened the door. 

The question hung in the air, Arthur’s mouth had gone dry. He didn’t have a reason why she couldn’t come. Arthur felt Charles stiffen beside him, afraid to look over and trigger Sadie’s response. She was one of the few gang members that hadn’t been roped into the Grays and Braithwaites bullshit. She had been given a pass to most gang activities since joining, and beyond guard duty there was nothing pressing that would keep her in camp. She stared at him expectantly. 

“I--I uh. Sure?” Arthur stammered, feeling the tension radiate off Charles to his side. “We are usually away a few days, you got a bed roll and stuff?” Arthur tried to find any excuse as to why she might need to back out. 

“Oh, I picked one up when I bought Bob, seemed as good a time as any to be prepared.” Arthur shifted his weight, scratching the back of his head.

“That’s good!” He tried his best to make his tone convincing. “ How’s Bob...doin’?” He didn’t know what else to do, he had fucked up. Sadie’s smile was almost predatory as she looked between the boys. Charles face still remained neutral, though Arthur could feel the tension building as the conversation continued.

“He is fine, but I’m sure he is gettin’ a bit antsy as I tacked him up a while ago and we ain’t left yet.” Sadie turned to leave.

“Wait! You still goin’ huntin’?”

“Well, _our_ trip next week ain’t gonna fill the pot tonight!” She called out over her shoulder as she strode toward the horses. Arthur looked quickly over at Charles who had placed his hands on his hips. He called after her.

“L-let me go with you!” He heard Charles sigh as he jogged after Sadie.

“I’ll be fine Arthur, I’m not going that far, just need some meat to tide us over until next week.” He quickly caught up with her, matching her stride.

“Two of us can carry more.” He whistled for Ulysses as they came up on Bob.

“Arthur, I can handle myself. I used to do all the huntin’ for Jake and I. I don’t need you to protect me.” Sadie pulled herself onto Bob’s back and took the reigns from Arthur as he handed them up to her.

“I know. I just don’t like no one going out on their own if they don’t hafta. ‘Specially not now. I’d just feel better if I went with ya.” His eyes met hers, they were soft, the concern behind them real. He held onto Bob’s bridle, petting the horse’s snout. Sadie sighed. 

“Hurry up then, I wanna be back before dusk.” He nodded and turned to check on Ulysses and his gear.

They rode out in relative silence, Arthur pointing them to a place close to Face Rock that he and Charles had some luck with last time they came down this way. Sadie followed him through the forest toward the hill. They dismounted near the rocks and crept slowly into the valley. True to his word Arthur let Sadie take the lead in hunting. He followed her, slowly sneaking through the tall grass. 

“There!” She whispered, pointing to a small group of wild pigs near the treeline on the opposite end of the field. Arthur turned his attention to where she pointed, he smelled the air. They were down wind and the smell of the pigs carried nicely. The pup stirred excitedly in the back of his mind. 

**_Hunt! Her! Hunt together!_ **

Arthur pressed his eyes closed, pushing back against the rush of emotions.

“Not now, soon. You gotta wait buddy, you don’t want to scare her.”

**_But...she is like us. She smells like us, like Charles._ **

The wolf whispered. Arthur’s eyes shot open.

“Wait! What?!” He shuddered, feeling his control slip. 

Sadie slowly crept forward toward the pigs, not noticing Arthur had stopped. She pulled the repeater off her shoulder, ducking behind a cropping of boulders near the edge of the open field she turned back to Arthur, he was farther back than she thought, slowly pulling his bow off his back. She frowned, he looked a million miles away.

“Arthur!” She hissed, waving him over.

Arthur snapped back, his eyes locking onto Sadie as she frantically waved him over. He crouched low and met her by the rock, his bow drawn he notched an arrow as he settled in next to her.

“Sorry, thought I heard something.” Redirecting her attention to the pigs on the other side of the clearing. “You thinkin’ two?” Sadie’s disapproving look let him know he wasn’t fooling her. “I’m fine! Really.” She scoffed and turned back to the pigs.

Arthur carried the two pigs back to the horses, loading one onto each. Sadie watched him, giving Bob a scratch on the neck as he finished, moving next to Ulysses. 

**_You know what he is…_ **

Sadie didn’t have an argument, not this time. Arthur was a capable man, but those pigs each had to have weighed close to 200 pounds. There was no way he should have been able to carry them each under one arm. She knew that smell that came through camp this morning. The way that he ran off, the terror that filled her when the fight broke out between him and Dutch. She watched him, brushing out Ulysses coat, the horse knickered appreciatively as he spoke softly to it.

“Yeah, I know. Ain’t no denying it, not after today.” She smiled, it had been a long time since she had met another wolf. She didn’t think she ever would meet another. 

It had just been her and Jake since that first winter in Ambarino. They had each other to figure things out, learning together, growing together. It was a good thing they were alone up there, because control had been hard, building that relationship had been something new. 

“Arthur, can I ask you a question?” He turned, giving Ulysses a pat on the haunches. His expression controlled.

“I’m fine, if yer wondering about earlier, I just th--”

“Arthur. Are you...a wolf?” His eyes widened and he stopped moving forward. She stepped toward him slowly, he stepped back and nodded. The pup pushed him.

**_Tell her, she is like us._ **

“Same as you, I guess?” His voice was low, cautious. His stance shifted to a feigned casual. Sadie nodded slowly still moving toward him.

“Yes.” She whispered, smiling cautiously at him. “I had my suspicions for a while, but so much has happened in the last coupla months. I needed t’be sure, needed t’know I could trust you if it turned out I was wrong.” She crossed her arms over her chest, stopping a few feet from him. Arthur raised an eyebrow, curiosity getting the best of him.

“How long you been a wolf? And how come Charles didn’t know?” Sadie’s eyebrows shot up.

“Charles is a wolf too? Huh, he is a hard one to read. I mean I suspected he at least knew you were. You two spendin’ so much time together.” Arthur’s laugh caught her off guard.

“Guess we have been, but it ain’t easy findin’ out you’re a wolf. A little easier when you happen to know another one, and he can tell you what the hell is happening.”

“Since Jake and I moved to Ambarino.” 

“Jake too” Sadie nodded, she closed her eyes.

“It ain’t right that I’m here and he isn’t. I made him change me.” Her voice got quiet. “He was just so scared after that first shift, he was worried he would hurt me. I told him he couldn’t hurt me if we were both wolves.” She paused, pushing through the tears her throat tightening. “Lotta good that did him.”  Arthur stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. 

\---

The sun had started to drop below the horizon as they broke the treeline back into camp, both of them dismounting and setting loose the horses. Arthur tucked the pigs under his arms and made his way to drop them off at Pearson’s wagon. Charles intercepted him along the way.

“She cannot come out with us! Did you convince her to stay behind?”

“Listen, you don’t have to worry about Sadie. She’s, uhh...like us.” Charles stopped, staring mouth agape at Arthur’s back as he dropped the pigs at Pearson’s wagon. He turned back around to face Charles, a sheepish grin crossing his face.

Charles stepped forward and grabbed Arthur by the arm, dragging him to his tent.

“What are you talking about?” He hissed “How could you have  _ possibly _ gotten around to talkin’ about that?” His grip tightened on Arthur’s arm and panic filled his voice. “Sadie’s a wolf?! How...” He released his grip and stared at Arthur, his brow knit in confusion and his eyes lost focus, lost in his own head. Arthur reached out, putting his hand gently on Charles’ shoulder.

“Hey, this is good, right?” He ducked his head to meet Charles eyes. “We was worried that she would find out, but she already knows.” Charles didn’t respond, still within his head, he turned slightly pulling out of Arthur’s grasp. 

Arthur straightened back up and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. He sat down on the cot, silently watching Charles pace the space. He knew he wouldn’t take it well, he hadn’t believed Arthur when he asked him about Sadie before. Arthur closed his eyes tightly.

“Charles, did your wolf tell you I was one?” Charles slowed to a stop, he turned around and cocked his head.

“What? How would he know?”

“I-I don’t know, smell? Maybe it’s a feeling of kinship? I don’t know, the pup told me she was a wolf, acted like I should have known!” He threw his hands up in exasperation.

“What? He told you. That  _ Sadie _ was a  _ wolf _ .” Charles face twisted incredulously.

“He said we was the same. She asked me if I was a wolf, I panicked and he piped in saying we was the same. So I trusted him, she would have known I was lyin’! She caught me off guard, I was against a wall, I took a chance.” 

“I don’t know, Arthur. How can you be sure? She shift in front of you?” Charles crossed his arms.

“I trust her, Charles. What reason she got to lie to me? She is my friend, same as you.” Arthur stood up walking out of the tent. He gestured for Charles to follow him. “Let’s go talk to her.”

Sadie had finished up with the horses, letting them back to graze with the herd. Making her way to put her things down, she settled by the scout fire near the edge of camp. She pulled her hair out of the braid, running her fingers through her windswept hair. She shrugged out of her jacket, it was far too warm by the fire for it, she rolled her sleeves and began to re-plait her hair. The rustle from the trees in front of her made her look up, Karen broke the treeline with her repeater held low, a smirk blooming on her face as her eyes landed on Sadie.

“Saw you leavin’ with Arthur earlier. Where’d you two get off to?” She placed the repeater against the tree, grabbing the stool and dragging it closer to Sadie.

“We just went huntin’ I was going out anyway and he don’t want no one going out alone right now.” Karen raised an eyebrow.

“He’s allowed to go out by himself all the damn time, why can’t you?” She put her head in her hands, elbows resting on her knees. 

Sadie knew she was stirring the pot, but could she blame her? She was right. But she had the wrong idea, Arthur had earned his freedom, she had watched him around camp. The respect he earned from those here. He was the one they came to when they needed someone for a plan. He was Dutch’s enforcer, so he had to be able to defend himself. The concern in his voice earlier, it was more than just him thinking she wasn’t capable. He was worried about her, about the possibility of something happening to his family. It’s why she had agreed.

“I told him he could come.” She continued to braid her hair, not looking at Karen, knowing what she was doing. Karen huffed next to her dropping her hands.

“You’re no fun. Did you at least ask him about where him and Charles are always going together?” 

“No, we just went huntin’.” Karen turned as the boys came up to the camp.

“Speak of the devil.” She muttered.

“Karen.” Arthur nodded at her. “Mind if we speak to Sadie fer a moment?”

“Yes.” Her expression cold. “What’s the big secret?”

“Ain’t no secret, we was just plannin’ next week’s big hunting trip. You’re welcome t’stay if ya want.” Arthur smiled at her, settling down next to her by the fire. Sadie looked over at Charles who had stopped shy of the fire, his eyes locked on her.

Karen sighed and turned her attention back to the fire, her eyes flicking to Charles. She stood up, picking up the repeater before shouldering her way past Charles.

“I got to get back to guard duty anyhow. Sadie, let’s talk later.” She disappeared back into the trees, not waiting for a response. Arthur raised his eyebrows at Charles.

“She ain’t happy with you.” 

“No, she isn’t.” Charles looked out into the darkness where Karen disappeared. Arthur turned back to the fire, he picked up a log from nearby and dropped it onto the flames. Charles circled the outside of the fire and leaned against a nearby tree. 

“Ya’ll want to talk about the trip next week?” Sadie looked at up at Charles. “Or is it about what we talked about this afternoon?” She shifted her attention to Arthur.

“I think we probably need a bit more privacy.” Charles pushed himself off the tree, disappearing into the trees. Arthur sighed and stood up, following him, Sadie behind him. They walked quietly through the woods, avoiding the guards around the camp they continued down to a clearing and Charles set about setting up a small camp.

“Is everything okay, Charles?” Sadie offered him some kindling she had picked up from near the camp.

Arthur joined them by the small fire, settling down in the dirt and glancing over at Charles. He also wanted to know what was on his mind. He had been really quiet since he told him they should just talk to Sadie. He knew what Charles wanted, he wanted proof from her, that she was actually a wolf and not lying. Seemed silly, because who would lie about it? But maybe he was right to err on the side of caution. He had been a wolf his whole life, how many others had he met? None. And now, in the last six months he has two, and in the same place?

Charles took the kindling, nodding in thanks, he tucked it into the logs and watched as the fire flared to life, the sap crackling in the heat.

“How did you know?” Charles stood and turned toward Sadie. His mind thinking back to Arthur saying his wolf had told him about her. 

“About Arthur?” She shrugged slightly. “I wasn’t sure at first, I’ve only ever seen the symptoms once before. Things started t’add up though.” Arthur had turned to listen as well.

“Wait, you knew another wolf?” He looked between them, Arthur nodded and Sadie’s eyes grew dark.

“My Jake.”

“Oh.” He looked to the ground. “I-I’m sorry.” Sadie forced a small smile before continuing.

“You didn’t know, how could you. I don’t talk about him, hurts too much. And it ain’t like I can just tell folks he was a wolf.” She chuckled darkly. “He filled out just like Arthur, just maybe not as big.” Arthur’s ears burned hot, unable to control it as the blush ripped across his face.

“So your wolf never told ya I was a wolf?” Arthur stood, turning toward her.

“No, I didn’t know for sure until your fight with Dutch, when you went runnin’ off. My wolf had never been so concerned about a predator as they were this mornin’.”

“You felt that too?” Charles exclaimed. “Mine screamed out to run.” Sadie nodded, before turning back to Arthur.

“Wait, Arthur, did your wolf tell you I was one?” 

“Yeah, he said you was like Charles and I.” Sadie looked over at Charles questioningly before turning back to Arthur.

“Huh.” Sadie dropped down near the fire, holding her hands out over it as the night air began to bite at her nose and fingertips.

“So, you don’t talk to your wolf either.”

“I do, sometimes.” She rubbed her hands together. Charles had relaxed, it was clear that Sadie was like them, a question still burned in the back of his mind, his eyes were on Arthur relaxing near the fire, hands hooked into his belt talking to Sadie about her wolf. He thought more on how Sadie and Arthur both seemed to talk to their wolves, was there still a chance for him to build a relationship with his?

_ “Two wolves, a new pack. What do you think?” _ The wolf remained silent for a while, Charles waited.

**_It will be nice to have a family again. You’ve been alone a long time._ **

Charles nodded, unsure of what else to say. He was curious, he wanted to know more about what his wolf thought of their relationship, could it be a friendship?

_ “What are we?”  _ He had never used ‘we’ when talking to his wolf, there had always been a clear distinction.

**_We_ ** **_are a partnership._ **

The wolf had noticed his use of we, the emphasis was clear. He pushed it.

“ _ But, could we ever be more than that? A team or even friends?” _

Silence hung heavily, the sounds of Sadie and Arthur laughing breaking it, and bringing him back. He looked at them, a sadness sat within him. He took a deep breath, maybe he would never be as close to his wolf as Arthur, but he wasn’t going to keep himself secluded anymore. This was his new family, they were together as long as fate would allow and he was going to be there for them. 


	7. Faded Echos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles gets away, taking time to focus on what he thought he knew and what he has learned about the wolves and his new pack. Getting to know Sadie and her past, and deciding what he wants to do now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry we are a bit delayed here, it's been an interesting month of settling in to a new house. We are still gonna keep moving on this, hopefully I'll be able to get the updates out in a more timely fashion.

The camp was quiet as they returned, the moon hanging low on the horizon. The hunting trip had been  more successful than Charles could have hoped. He watched Sadie and Arthur as they dismounted to take care of the horses, each of them overladen with game. He smiled, Sadie was an amazing shot, she could give Arthur a run for his money. He hitched Taima and joined them in getting the haul over to Pearson’s wagon, taking one of the bucks from Bob and throwing it over his shoulder.

 

“Appearances.” He looked down at Sadie, an apologetic smile flashed across his face. She rolled her eyes, grabbing a turkey and rabbit, following the two men to the wagon.

 

“Quite a haul there Mr. Morgan, Mr. Smith.” Sadie slammed the carcasses on the table, her eyes burning into Pearson. “Mrs. Adler!” Surprise painted his tone. Arthur’s hand found purchase gently on Sadie’s shoulder.

 

“Finally putting that anger to use, I see.” Pearson grabbed the rabbit and turned to start dressing the carcass.

 

“All thanks to Sadie! Gal’s one helluva shot.” Arthur’s eyes locked on Pearson, patting her shoulder. Sadie’s shoulders tensed under Arthur’s hand, he squeezed it gently, turning her away and back toward the horses.

 

“Fat piece of shit, I oughta slit his throat.” Sadie growled, her movements stiff under Arthur’s guidance. 

 

“You kill him, someone’s gonna have to take over his job. You offerin’ your services?” Arthur deadpanned.

 

Charles took care of the rest of the game, leaving them near Pearson’s wagon. Avoiding any chit chat as he silently dropped the game and walked toward the campfire. He watched as Sadie and Arthur removed the tack from the horses. Sadie brushed out Taima, the horse leaned heavily, Charles shook his head. 

 

Taima had always been a pushover, her nose pushed into Sadie’s satchel. Sadie laughed, lifting the cheeky horse’s head and kissing her muzzle gently. Charles smiled to himself. This was Sadie Adler, in a moment she thought no one saw. A window into the soul she thought long burnt and dead in that cabin in Ambarino. He looked into the fire, the smile fading from his face, his mind moving back to the conversation he had with his wolf. 

 

Settling by the fire he glanced back toward the horses where Sadie and Arthur were talking quietly. They both seemed to have benefitted from the wolf. It hadn’t been a burden, it had been a blessing. Could he have that? Finally feel free instead of trapped by his wolf? 

 

 _Trapped_. The word echoed in his mind. It was a word that he put on himself, but was it the right word? He sighed. No. He had chosen to wall himself off under the guise of protecting others. He stood up, slowly walking away from the light of the campfire, disappearing into the darkness surrounding the camp. He found a small creek flowing through the trees, sitting down in the soft dirt near the water, letting the sounds of the creek soothe him. 

 

Time passed and the sun started to crest over the horizon, Charles stood, his back and legs stiff from the cold ground. He stretched and headed back toward the sounds of the camp, everything still weighing heavily on him. He needed to see if this was something he could change. If his relationship with his wolf was salvageable. He moved through the camp, stopping when he came across Jack poking at the fire.

 

“Jack, don’t get too close to the fire. It’s not safe.” He tussled the boy’s hair as he continued on his way, tapping John on the shoulder as he passed him, he gestured back to Jack near the fire.

 

“Jack, get away from that fire!” John shouted.

 

Charles clicked for Taima, the horse groggilly made her way to him. 

 

“Charles! Where’d you get off to last night?” Arthur called as he stepped out of his tent and walked toward him.

 

“I needed to think on some things.” He paused, turning to face him. Arthur, pulled a carrot from his satchel, quickly getting Taima’s attention, he ran his hand down her neck as she munched the carrot.

 

“And, you’re need some more time.” Arthur finished the thought, continuing to pat Taima. “How long you gonna be gone?” He paused. “So I can cover for ya.” Charles looked down, of course Arthur could read him. 

 

He exhaled heavily. And of course Arthur would cover for him. It wasn’t exactly a convenient time for him to disappear, he knew that. It had been hard enough finding time to talk with all that was happening around camp.

 

“I need to do this, but I don’t know how it’s going to go.” Arthur turned to Charles.

 

“You need to do this, I’ll cover for ya. Go on. Take ya time.” He gave Charles’s shoulder a pat, as he turned and moved toward the fire to get himself some coffee. Charles picked up Taima’s saddle and threw it over her back. He turned to look at Arthur once more, that familiar feeling welling up in him that this was more than he deserved.

 

 _No. He is your friend, of course he would look out for you. You don’t have to be alone anymore._ Charles finished getting Taima ready, trying to work out where to even begin. He mounted up and started out of camp, Arthur giving him a small salute as he passed.

 

He headed north, unsure of what to expect, snaking up the Dakota and back toward the Grizzlies. The less people, the better. The temperature dropped as the sun set and he pulled off the trail and set up camp, getting the fire started he stared into the flames. Taima pawed the ground and Charles looked back at her.

 

“Alright, I hear ya, let’s get that heavy saddle off.” He smiled at the horse, scratching her neck as he began to loosen the tack. 

 

She sighed heavily as he pulled the saddle off her back and put it against a nearby rock. He pulled a beet from satchel and showed it to her, she whinnied, rocking her head up and down. Giving her another pat he fed her the beet before moving back toward the fire.

 

The warm fire felt good on his hands, stiff from a long day in the saddle. He stared into the flames, the feeling slowly returning to his fingers. Sadie. She was such an interesting woman, so much like himself but he had never taken the time to talk to her. Always assuming that it wasn’t his place, another person who wouldn’t understand him. Her story had been so different, she had everything, only to have it all ripped away. 

 

It was Charles who started the conversation as they sat by the fire.

 

“So, you always been a wolf?” Charles broke the silence, glancing up at Sadie. The conversation had died down since Arthur had gone off to his tent. 

 

“No.” Sadie whispered. She stared into the fire, closing her eyes she exhaled slowly. “Jake bit me.” Charles’s expression dropped unsure how to answer.

 

“I-I don--” She cut him off.

 

“I asked him to.” She looked at Charles. “I promised to be with him through everything, ain’t that what marriage is?” Her face twisted into a smile, trying to believe it herself. “Jake got himself bit that first fall we was up in Ambarino. I had gone out hunting for us and Jake got himself bit trustin’ the wrong stranger.” Her chuckle was hollow.

 

“Sadie…” Charles reached for her. She stood and paced around the fire.

 

“You know, first time Jake shifted he got stuck for almost a week!” She chuckled again. “Three days before I got home and found him. Damn near shot his head off. I chased him off thinkin’ he was tryin’ to get after our sheep. The damn thing never fully left, always just in the treeline, I watched him all day. It wasn’t until well after the sun had set and Jake hadn’t returned that I began to worry that maybe the wolf had something to do with it. I had the repeater on me and so much anger in me. Anger that the wolf had taken my Jake. Anger that it thought I was weak. Anger at the wolf for not leaving. My rage carried me outside, toward the thing I thought stole Jake from me. 

 

I stopped as I neared the trees. Those eyes, when I saw those eyes, Jake’s eyes. I knew.”

 

\----

 

“Jake?!” Sadie staggered toward the large dark wolf, repeater gripped tightly in her hand. The wolf slunk through the trees, wary eyes on Sadie, but it didn’t back away. “Jake? Is that you?” Her knuckles white around the repeater in her hands, tears pooling in her eyes. 

 

The wolf growled lightly, moving slowly toward Sadie, its ears back. She stopped, the repeater dropping to her side. The cold night air burning her tear-standing face. The wolf inched closer its growl turning to a whimper. It stopped in front of her, hackles raised but head down. Its eyes locked on Sadie. Now that it was up close, she realized, it was the biggest wolf she had ever seen. 

 

“What happened to you?” Her voice caught in her throat. She reached out a hand toward the wolf, her eyes watching it. For a moment everything was still, Sadie’s breath trembled, the wolf moved slowly, its movements controlled, pushing its head against her hand. Its fur was soft and thick below her hand, she watched it close its eyes. 

 

“Jake…” She lifted the wolf’s head in her hands, its eyes still closed. “...what‘s going on?” It opened its eyes and she saw the sadness there, almost an embarrassment. The wolf whined and pulled its head from her hands, head low.

 

“We can figure this out.” She kneeled down, wrapping her arms around its neck. They would get through this, just like everything else. She felt the tears hot on her cheeks as she buried her face into the fur, the feeling of relief drained her They sat for a while, before Sadie shivered, the wolf pulled back pushing its snout into her.

 

“I’m fine.” Sadie wiped her face with her sleeve, standing up she started back toward the house. She turned as she got to the door, the wolf still standing at the edge of the trees. “Let’s go.” She waved for it to follow but the wolf remained at the treeline. It howled back at her, turning back into the trees. She watched the trees for a time, the wolf did not return. Heartbroken, she closed the door, left alone with her thoughts. 

 

The sun rose over the mountains, Sadie sat on the side of their bed, her wedding photo clutched in her hands. The embers from the fire crackled in the fireplace, she stood and placed the photo back on the mantle. Going to the window she scanning the trees for Jake, but the woods were quiet. 

 

She tried to distract herself and went about the household chores. Anxiety building as the hours passed without another sighting of the wolf. Finding anything to keep her mind away from the time. The sun set and Sadie’s anxiety peaked. Had it been a dream? Was Jake just gone? A second night passed sleeplessly, unable to lay in the bed they shared. She sat at the table, her head in her hands.

 

“Jake, where are you?” She whispered.

 

She must have fallen asleep because when she picked her head up off the table the sun was low in the sky. She pushed away from the table, her legs stiff with disuse. She got herself some water, glancing out the window hoping to see the wolf in the trees. The sun had set over the mountain and the woods were cast with shadows, but something moved. Sadie squinted to focus in the darkness, she dropped her cup and ran outside.

 

“JAKE! YOU’RE ALIVE!” She ran toward him, knocking him over with the force of her embrace. 

 

He looked exhausted and grunted as she collided with him, wrapping his arms around her as they hit the ground, taking the brunt of the fall.

 

“Hey sweetheart.” His voice was soft, tired. She interrupted him with a deep kiss and he pulled her closer to him, wanting to be as close to her as possible. Drinking in her smell, overjoyed that he was with her again.

 

But soon his thoughts grew darker. 

 

 _How much time would they have together like this? Would he tell her? Or would he keep this from her, another shameful secret in an ever growing list. Would she leave him? Try to kill him? Could she ever love a monster?_ He pulled her gently up onto his lap, protecting her from the cold ground.

 

“Jake, where were you?” She framed his face with her hands, eyes rimmed with tears. “You couldn’t leave a note? I thought you were dead!” He wrapped her in a hug, pressing a kiss onto the crown of her head. Ashamed he was unable to meet her eyes. “There was a wolf…” She buried her face in his neck, muffling her voice. He stiffened. “...I dreamt there was a wolf with your eyes.” He held her as she cried, the cool night air settling around them.

 

_She thinks it was a dream._

 

**Who is she?**

 

Deep within him the voice asked, he tightened his grip on Sadie, his eyes widening with fear.

 

_Leave her alone, I love her, she is all I have!_

 

**Love?**

 

The voice echoed as if it was trying to find meaning to the word. Jake tried to explain, trying to find a word that the voice would understand.

 

 _I care for her, her safety is important to me, and I would die for her. I have nothing without her._ He paused. _Mate._

 

**Mate.**

 

The voice repeated in understanding. Jake nodded, rubbing Sadie’s back as the sobs continued to wrack her body. The voice seemed satisfied and went quiet. Jake closed his eyes, the air was becoming cold and he needed to get Sadie inside to keep her from freezing to death. He tightened his grip around her waist, putting his other arm behind him he pushed himself up and started toward the house. 

 

A week passed uneventfully, the voice quiet and the urges dormant. Jake’s anxiety was at an all time high. Sadie had not brought back up the wolf, she had resumed a sort of status quo on their life. This had been a mild relief for Jake, but he still didn’t fully understand what was happening to him, and having Sadie around made him more nervous each passing day. 

 

What if he hurt her? Or worse. Was that voice inside him the wolf? Could he talk to it all the time? Were his clothes shrinking? He had been eating a lot more. Sadie had made sure to comment on that. _‘Stockin’ up for winter’_ had been her exact words. He sighed, money was tight enough they didn’t need him eating away any extra they had. He knew she hadn’t meant to hurt him, but it was another way he was failing. The scales tipping against him with each little thing. 

 

She slept peacefully next to him, the dim light from the fireplace casting shadows across her face. He had to tell her, let her decide. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, but hurting her would be worse. He watched her for a bit longer, memorizing everything he could about her before settling into a restless night’s sleep.

 

Sadie was up well before him, the smell of food cooking woke him, his stomach growling. She smiled as he rose out of bed, handing him a cup of coffee.

 

“Morning! Here. I cooked up some of the elk from the other day. Good thing it got cold soon as it did. We’re gonna have to salt the rest if we don’t cook it soon. We got through a good portion of it fresh though! Gives me a good idea on how much huntin’ I have to do durin’ winter.” A pang of guilt shot through him. 

 

_You’re such a burden on her. Now she’ll have to hunt more._

 

“Thanks. Smells delicious, darlin, but can we talk?” He gestured for her to sit. She prepared them two plates and joined him at the table, her face drawn with concern. Jake worried his lip, taking in Sadie’s face and every detail, fear creeping in that it would be the last day they would spend together.

 

“Jake…” Sadie’s knuckles were white as she worried her apron.

 

“When I came home last week.” He paused, thinking carefully about how to phrase his thoughts. “You said something ‘bout a wolf. About a dream.” He trailed off, working his hand into hers. She squeezed his hand tightly. “That...that wasn’t a dream.” His eyes locked on her, watching her, wanting her to put together the pieces. 

 

“What’re you sayin’? It weren’t a dream?” Her eyes met his, confusion there. “That wolf wasn’t there, it couldn’t…” Her knuckles turned white as she gripped his hand. 

 

Jake offered her a half smile, his eyebrows knit apologetically. Sadie pushed back from the table. She felt all the air leave her lungs and backed up pressing her back against the wall of the cabin. 

 

_It wasn’t a dream, that wolf was there, was Jake! No, he had to mean something else. There had to be another explanation, this was her Jake. He was sweet and gentle and most definitely NOT a wolf. That just wasn’t possible!_

 

Jake rose slowly from the table, moving to Sadie’s side, he placed his hand on her back and began rubbing small circles. 

 

“Breathe.” His voice was low and reassuring. “Honey, you need to breathe.” Sadie stared out into the room, slowly her breathing normalized and Jake wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him, cradling her head to his chest.

 

“How.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. 

 

“I don’t know.” He looked down at her. “Did you mean what you said? In the woods?” Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared back at him.

 

“Of course, we will figure this out. Together.”

 

\---

 

“We thought we were invincible you know.” Sadie turned back to Charles her face twisted into a pained smile. “Why wouldn’t we? We were wolves and we were together. But Jake was always too trusting. It got him bit and it got him killed.” She dropped down by the fire, wrapping her arms around her legs. 

 

“Jake sounded like a kind soul. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, ‘specially in this world.” Charles stared into the fire.

 

“He was. A better man that I deserved.” Charles tried to interject, but she continued. “Those days after they killed him, I was hollow, lost, it felt like a bad dream. But soon the anger overtook me. I wanted to rip out their throats, tear them limb from limb. My wolf nearly convinced me to go feral, but my memories of Jake, my fear of losing them, kept me together.” 

 

“I don’t think I would have been able to pull myself back. You’re a strong woman.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, the air heavy. Sadie wiped her face on her sleeve, standing up, steeling herself.

 

“But here I am, a second chance at happiness, at life. And I ain’t one to look a gift horse.” She pulled some game meat from her satchel and prepared it over the fire offering a piece to Charles who graciously accepted.

 

“I ain’t ever really had much of a family, not since I was a kid. It feels nice.” He fiddled with the meat in his hands. “You know? To feel like you finally found where you belong?”

 

Sadie looked up at him, he looked small, which she found funny. He and Arthur both had that way about them, like they felt they didn’t deserve to take up space, to live. She felt her chest tighten. 

 

“How about you, when did you become a wolf?” She walked over and sat next to him near the fire, offering another piece of game. 

 

“I was born one.” Charles took the piece of meat from her, giving her a nod of thanks. Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to look at him. Besides Jake she hadn’t known any other wolves, but she never thought about how there were those born as wolves.

 

“So you parents were wolves too?” 

 

“My mother, her whole tribe actually. My father...he hated it. He loved my mother so he put up with it, but I think it made him always feel weak.”

 

“It must have been hard to lose them, your pack.” Sadie’s eyes softened, she put her hand on his shoulder.

 

“I don’t remember much. I was real young.” He lied, it was easier. The tribe had never really accepted him, they tolerated him and his father. To them he wasn’t ever going to be part of their pack. They were kind, but they were treated as outsiders. He placed his hand on Sadie’s and gave it a small squeeze. 

 

“We left the tribe when I was young, my mother was taken not long after that. It was just me and my father for a while. I don’t think he ever really got over her being taken, and I think when he saw me it hurt him.” He exhaled heavily. 

 

“So I left.

 

I’ve spent a long time thinkin’ I didn’t quite belong anywhere. I remember trying to find my mom’s tribe that first winter after I left my father. I didn’t make it far, I didn’t even know where to begin. 

 

I wound up in Oregon, I worked on a farm there. I earned my keep helping them with various tasks around the property, I must have been useful because they let me stay until I was seventeen.” He was quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts. Sadie inched closer to him, wishing more than anything she could show him just how much he meant to others.

 

She had been around the fire that night that Charles had drunkenly poured his soul out to the small group up that late. His whole life he had never felt he belonged. Always keeping himself on the outside, unsure of his place in the world. Not sure that he understood what he was meant to do in this world. Apologizing for his existence before disappearing into the night. Lost in her own grief she related to that feeling of complete aloneness. But she had been too consumed by her own grief to go to him that night. It was still too raw, so she let him go. Angry now that she hadn’t gone to him, let him know that he did belong, when he needed to hear it the most.

 

“They were nice enough, but I was just another mouth to feed. Once farm started having some trouble, I was the easiest solution.” Charles matter-of-fact tone broke Sadie’s heart. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder. Charles stiffened under her touch and looked over at her. 

 

“You don’t have to be alone anymore.” Her voice cracked. “I can’t speak for Arthur, but I won’t ever leave ya. You belong. You matter to me, and I’m better for havin’ met you.” Sadie felt herself saying everything she had wanted to hear someone say to her since she lost Jake. Charles relaxed into the embrace, the silence settling between them. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Charles broke the silence. “Ab--”

 

“Stop.” Sadie sat up, her eyes hard. “It ain’t your fault, none of it. You have nothin’ to apologize for! You don’t hafta take responsibility for everything all the time.” Charles stared at her his face painted with confusion. She breathed out a laugh and shook her head. “You both blame yourself for so much. But it ain’t always your responsibility.” He smirked apologetically.

 

“You’re right. But you spend your whole life bein’ blamed you just start to accept that it all _is_ your fault.” He looked back into the fire. “You ever regret it?” Sadie raised and eyebrow.

 

“No. I told him we were in this together, and we was. I don’t regret a minute of it. How ‘bout you, you wish things were different?”

 

“I don’t know if it would have helped. I spent my whole life in fear of what I could become if I let the wolf tempt me.”

 

“Tempt you?”

 

“My mother used to tell me that my wolf was something I needed to control. That it needed an alpha or it would assume that role for itself. But now? Everything with Arthur is new, different. I was supposed to be helping him learn about his wolf, but I feel like he is teaching me.”

 

“He has that way about him.”

 

“Did he tell you about the day he fought with Dutch? About that shift?”

 

“No. I assumed he shifted just past the trees?” She pulled a cigarette from her bag, offering one to Charles, he waived his decline.

 

“You ever seen a half shift?” He watched her carefully, his expression measured.

 

“Half shift?” She knit her brow in confusion, cocking her head slightly. 

 

“So it is something new.” Charles muttered.

 

“Is that why our wolves were so worked up?” Her eyes widened. 

 

“As far as I can tell. It was incredible. He was huge, but it was most assuredly Arthur, his actions, his movements. He stood on two feet, enormous clawed hands and covered in fur.” Charles spoke faster, excitement and awe peppering his tone. “I ain’t ever seen anything like that. He didn’t know he had shifted. His strength, he picked me up like I weighed nothing! His eyes, they were so human” Sadie inhaled sharply.

 

“His eyes.” She whispered. 

 

"He ran from you.” He looked at Sadie. “I couldn’t find him. I searched for so long in the trees, I had to ask my wolf to help. We found him miles away, unable to shift back. My wolf didn’t know anything about it either.” He trailed off.

 

“Jakes eyes, it’s how I knew it was him. That first time in the woods. You think that was some kind of partial shift? Because, when I shift it’s like I’m a passenger, the wolf is in control, but Jake...” She closed her eyes.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The night I found Jake, he was in the woods near our house. Hiding in the trees and the only reason I didn’t shoot was because he had Jake’s eyes.”

 

“I don’t know. Not anymore.”

 

\----

 

Charles’s eyes burned, the fire crackled and the wind echoed through the trees. Taima had wandered closer to the fire, settling down for the night. He stood up, stretching out he walked over and pulled his tent from his things and began setting up. 

 

His mind wandered as he spread out his bedroll, he rolled over laying down, staring up at the canvas.His thoughts bringing him back to something that Arthur’s wolf had said about him being alone together, two spirits trapped together but complete strangers to each other. 

 

Arthur and Sadie had both mentioned talking to their wolves, talked about them listening and contributing to conversations. Had his wolf been doing that this whole time? Silently taking in his life, seeing everything? He clenched his jaw, guilt chewing at him. He knew there wasn’t going to be an easy way to start this relationship. If it was capable of being saved at all.

 

_We’ve been together for a long time yet we are strangers. I’m sorry._

 

**Why?**

 

The question was guarded and short. It had been more than Charles expected, he continued.

 

_Because you were alone. I cut you off and used you like a tool. I see now that was wrong of me. I didn’t know better. We are a team, or could be._

 

Charles held his breath, the silence stretched on for what seemed like hours. The cries of nature deafening in the silence. He sighed. He pushed on, trying to initiate the conversation, hoping all they needed was time

 

_Arthur is doing so well, he is so strong. And Sadie…._

 

**Stronger than us. His wolf is so young, he will only get stronger. And her? There is a fire there, it burns hotter than anything, be careful.**

 

_You think Sadie could be dangerous?_

 

**A fire is unpredictable and dangerous, even if it’s small. She could benefit from control.**

 

_You see everything I do, don’t you?_

 

**Yes. I feel what you experience. You are not as alone as you choose to be.**

 

 _What I feel too?_ Charles felt a wave of embarrassment flood over him. _I thought it was only when we talked._

 

**No. I see, hear, and feel what you feel. Like what you feel for Arthur or that strong light-haired female.**

 

_Sadie. Her name is Sadie. And I am st--_

 

**No. The one who fights with the strange sounding talkative male.**

 

Charles face flushed. The realization that the wolf felt his jealousy, as if his conscious beating him up wasn’t enough.

 

_K-karen? She is just a friend._

 

**Like Arthur?**

 

He felt the sarcasm. The wolf waited for his answer. He knew it wouldn’t do any good to lie

 

_Arthur. I don’t know what I feel._

 

**You have never let yourself get close to another, maybe it’s time to see what happens if you do.**

 

Charles stared up at the canvas, the wolf was right, he had never let himself get close to anyone. The closest relationship he could remember having was Arthur. He knew there was no one else, he had always felt out of place in world, he even kept his wolf at arms length. He sat up more questions bubbling to the surface.

 

_Arthur. He says that he feels his wolf’s emotions, but I don’t feel anything from you. Is it because his wolf if still a pup?_

 

**You don’t feel what you don’t want to feel.**

 

That feeling of guilt surged through Charles again. Of course he had closed the wolf off here too. 

 

_I’m sorry. For everything._

 

**No need, emotions can be overwhelming, They can be weakness. It is understandable to close them off.**

 

_But it wasn’t right for me to close you out. Seeing Arthur, it shows me that what I was taught, everything I know, could be wrong._

 

**Arthur is strong. He has such control. To be able to stop mid shift. Impressive. His wolf too, far stronger than me and still so young. The partnership they have formed is so deep and in such a short time, but the pup is submissive to him. That could change with time.**

 

The wolf continued, Charles listened in stunned silence. His wolf had seen so much, and had been watching closely. To be able to admit that even now Arthur was stronger than him stung a bit, but he expected it after the half shift.

 

**And that woman, her pain makes her strong. She is strong and smart, yet still tender, that is special.**

 

_She is truly something else. They both are. It feels real with them, like I belong. I haven’t felt that in so long, I feel safe around them._

 

It felt good to admit that, to finally have somewhere he felt welcome and loved. He laid back, a smile spreading across his face, a warmth filled his chest and he closed his eyes.

 

He woke to Taima nibbling gently on his boots, the horse obviously ready to move on. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking out at the her.

 

“Alright, alright!  I’m up.” He sat up Taima pushing her nose further into the tent. He chuckled and pushed her gently backward to exit the tent. Taima snorted at him before slowly backing out of the tent. 

 

The sky was still pink as the sun broke over the horizon, the fire burned low, he dropped a couple additional logs into the flames before dusting his hands on his pants and stretching his arms above his head. He whistled for Taima, beckoning her over with a carrot that he pulled from his satchel. He spoke softly to the mare, pulling out a brush and giving her a couple brisk strokes.

 

“I’ll be back shortly, then we will get going.” He fed her the carrot, scratching her chin before turning to leave. 

 

His stomach growled as he walked into the trees. He had been distracted and hadn’t eaten since getting back from their trip, only now had he realized how hungry he was. He moved through the trees, the bare branches creating music as breeze filtered through the forest. Centering himself he took in a deep breath. He felt the wolf perk in the back of his mind and smiled. 

 

He tried to sense the wolf’s emotions as they hunted, trying to align himself more with it. They stalked silently through the trees, a small herd of pronghorn grazing lazily in the clearing _._ Inching closer, anticipation building. Then suddenly the chase was on. 

 

Excitement fluttered through his consciousness, adrenaline coursing through him as the wolf took down its target, teeth sinking into flesh. The rush of emotions flooded Charles’s consciousness. He tried to pull his focus, the emotions becoming almost unbearable. His vision tunneled, his mind overwhelmed, he drifted out consciousness.

 

**You okay?**

 

The voice filtered in through the darkness, his vision slowly focusing. They sat in the trees outside his camp, the sun had passed its peak dipping down into the west.

 

_What was that?_

 

The sounds of nature slowly returned around him, the bird calls filling the silence. 

 

**I should have controlled myself more. You are not used to my emotions.**

 

They moved into camp, stopping inside the tent to make the shift away from the eyes of anyone passing by. Taima flicked her tail nervously, her nostrils flaring as she watched the wolf trot into the tent. 

 

_Thank you._

 

Chales stretched deeply as his form solidified, shaking the stiffness from his shoulders as he exited the tent.

 

**For?**

 

Charles whistled at Taima, who still seems uncertain her tail swishing violently behind her.He picked up her saddle, pulling a carrot from his satchel. She snorted loudly to let him know she wasn’t happy with the situation but slowly meandered over sniffing him deeply before taking the carrot, transgressions forgiven. She happily munched the carrot as he got her saddled up.

 

 _A second chance at this._  

 

Charles pulled himself into the saddle, pulling Taima into the trees and back onto the trail. The wolf remained silent, but Charles felt a small swell of happiness flood through him. Much more manageable. He smiled, their relationship still had a long way to go, but knowing that he hadn’t  ruined it was a step in the right direction.


	8. Wolves at the Door, pt I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles runs into someone from his past, and we learn a bit more about his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay everyone, lots of weird shit going on in my life. This chapter got split into two parts. They seemed to each deserve their own bit, but that means two updates pretty close to each other!
> 
> Thank you to everyone that has stuck with me during this weird time and for all the nice comments and kind words. I read them all and appreciate your support <3

Charles stopped in Strawberry on his way back, remembering that there were a couple things that were needed around camp. He picked up a batch of corn and carrots, picking up some celery and potatoes as well, motioning to the shopkeeper to keep a tab open. He continued shopping, browsing the shelves for items that he needed, picking up some ammunition for his shotgun, he placed the items in his satchel. 

“Just passin’ through?” The shopkeeper broke the silence in the shop. Charles looked up at him, placing the final bulk items on the counter. 

“Yeah, I’m heading East, just came down from Black Bone.” 

“That area’s got some strange magic to it, don’t it?” He looked over the items Charles had placed on the counter. “This it for ya?”

“Yeah. That’ll be it. How much do I owe?” Charles reached into his satchel for his cash, fingering through the bills as the shopkeeper indicated the total.

“William?” A woman’s voice called out behind him, he looked up at the shopkeeper, handing him a stack of cash. “William, William Smith?” The woman repeated. Charles turned slowly, finding a familiar face.

The older woman stood before him, she had aged a lot since his childhood, but her kind eyes still sparkled. She was one of her mother’s friends from the tribe, one of the few who didn’t treat him like a dark mark on the tribe.

“No, William was my father.”

“Charles?” Her voice wavered. She looked over him, tentatively stepping forward. “You look just like him you know.” Charles stiffened, he knew this, but it never made it easier to be reminded. The worn photo was tucked away in his back at camp was a constant reminder of just how much he looked like his father. “But you have your mother’s eyes.” He managed a polite smile at that, still unsure of what to say. 

That bitterness toward the tribe was still strong, abandoning them when they needed help the most. He knew rationally it wasn’t her fault, but it still hurt that everyone had abandoned them.

“How is your mother? I miss her.”  He prickled, his words escaping him before he could stop himself.

“I wouldn’t know, she was taken from us after you let the Army run us out.” He growled and she recoiled back, her eyes widening. Charles stepped back, casting his eyes down to the floor. “I’m--I’m sorry.” 

“I didn’t know.” She whispered. The shopkeeper moved around the counter.

“Are we going to have a problem here?” He reached under the counter, his eyes on Charles.

“I’m leaving, there won’t be any trouble.” He pushed past her and out of the door. Taima nickered as he approached. He quickly packed the supplies into the saddle bags wanting nothing more than to get back on the road and back to camp. The shop door opened behind him.

“Charles, wait. I’m sorry.” He continued to fiddle with Taima’s tack, running his fingers through her mane, keeping his back to her. “No one told us what happened. We thought you had moved on, that your father had found work elsewhere.” Her voice cracked.

His shoulders sagged, it wasn’t her fault, how could she know? The army had scattered the tribe, he was sure now that they had been targeted because his parent’s relationship. The army had followed them for weeks, he remembered that time, they never stayed more than a few days in any one place. He also remembered the fighting then, his father blaming the tribe while his mother tried to defend their actions. His father’s drinking had picked up and as the weeks went on his mother’s paranoia reached its peak.

It had been a hard couple of weeks, but nothing could have prepared him for that night. His father had been drinking and had passed out, he was supposed to go to the general store for supplies but only bought liquor. The afternoon dragged on as he slept, his mother’s frustration with him at an all time high.

“He calls himself a man.” She grumbled, looking over to the man slumped in the chair across the room, her son playing quietly in front of the fire. She stalked back into the kitchen, cursing under her breath she spit into the hearth. “A man…” She hissed and pulled her coat from the hook by the door, grabbing the repeater her husband kept by the door, she walked out into the warm summer afternoon.

She wandered into a nearby wooded area, they had been staying outside a small fishing village, Oysterville, for nearly two weeks now, having been chased south and west as the army continued it’s march to the sea. She moved quietly through the brush, she inhaled deeply, calling to her wolf for help in the hunt. 

**Hunt?**

_Yes. Something small, quick. I don’t want to leave Charles alone for long._

**Your mate isn’t with him?** Confusion bubbled in her mind.

 _In body._ She replied dryly. The wolf chuckled lowly. 

The woods fell quiet, the birds songs falling silent. Stopping in her tracks she scanned the treeline. She dropped down, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, she pulled the repeater from her shoulder. The faint sounds of beating hooves filled the silence, two men on horseback weaved through the trees. She pressed her back against a tree waiting for the men to move along. 

“You sure it was her that went into the woods?” One of the voices called out.

“That is what the man said. Said a small native woman walked this way not more than 20 minutes ago carrying a gun.” 

The wolf growled, she pushed away from the tree, slowly moving deeper into the woods, away from the voices. 

**We can run, if you let me.**

The wolf pressed against her mind, urgent. The preservation of self bubbling up. 

**I can save us, we can be free.**

She slowed, pushing through the undergrowth. She hissed a silencing hush to the wolf, pushing back against the wolf, pushing to maintain control. Distracted she failed to notice the elk, it’s warning call bellowing through the woods. 

“Is there someone there?” The first man’s voice calls out.

**Let me out!**

The voice pounded, pushing her control. The elk cried out again, the sounds of the horses closing in. Her control slipped, the pounding in her head rang out again.

**WE MUST RUN!**

The wolf pushed her forward, deeper into the trees, the shift taking control of her, the wolf breaking free and carrying her deeper into the wilds. The sounds of the hooves and elk fading as wolf ran farther. 

 _We have to go back, we have to save Charles!_ She screaming at the wolf. 

Panic filled her as they moved farther into the woods. Away from her boy. Away from the man she hated that she still loved. Away from her family and all that she had left in this world. Her voice was small and broken.

_Please...we have to go back._

There was no answer, the wolf ran on, driven on by self preservation.

 

\-----

The shadows stretched across the cabin floor, the dust dancing in the fading light of the afternoon. Charles looked up as his father stirred in his chair muttering incoherently before he settling back into a drunken sleep. He stood up, his stomach growling and he wandered toward the kitchen, eager to see what his mother was cooking. He stopped in the doorway, glancing into the empty room, he turned and walked down the hallway to the bedroom.

“Momma?” He calls out into the house, he turned, moving back toward the kitchen. He walked toward the door, opening it and looking out into the evening he repeated his call. “Momma?” Silence. He furrowed his brow, turning back and running inside the house.

“Father!” Charles reached him and began to shake him. “Father! Wake up!” Bringing a fist down on his father’s chest, his father slowly blinking awake. “Momma’s missing!” His father pushed him off, getting slowly to his feet. Charles hit the floor, jumping back to his feet he followed his father to the kitchen

“Haiwee!” William’s voice bellowed through the house. He stumbled into the kitchen. “Haiwee, where’d you get to?”

“She’s not here.” Tears started to well up in Charles’s eyes. “What if she doesn’t come back?” His voice cracking as the tears bubbled over.

“She is fine, stop that cryin’.” William’s eyes scanned the room, noticing the missing repeater. He grabbed Charles’s shoulder and pointing to the door. “The gun’s missin’, she’s out hunting. Quit yer cryin’!” His hand clapped heavily against Charles’s back as he turned and lumbered out of the room. 

Charles stayed in the kitchen, moving to the cauldron hanging over the fire, the liquid inside bubbled slowly. He ladeled up a spoonful of the liquid, the soup was thin, a few vegetables floating in the broth. He let the soup fall back into the pot hanging the ladle near the pot, his stomach growled again. He pulled his sleeve across his face, retrieving a bowl from the cabinet he poured himself a portion of the soup and settled down at the table to eat alone.

Two days passed and William could no longer shake off Charles’s concerns. The boy had been increasingly anxious, begging him to go look for her. He pulled on his jacket, turning to Charles and calling the boy over, he dropped down on one knee. 

“I’m gonna go find her. It’s gonna be alright, I’ll bring her back.” He forced a smile, worried gripped him as he turned and headed toward the door.

Charles watched the door close, standing numb in the middle of the room. Two days of crying, two days of watching his father drink himself to unconsciousness, two days and no news on his mother, no attempt to find her. The anger bubbled where the sadness once was overwhelming. 

The wolf stirred within him, the anger amplifying. A whisper in the back of his mind.

**We can find her.**

He ignores the whisper, the wolf pushes.

**You know we can find her. Together.**

He pushed back, his anger consuming him. He hissed back at the wolf.

_I don’t NEED you. Father will bring her back._

The wolf fell silent once more, the feeling of hurt quickly engulfed by his raging anger. He paced the room, fleeting thoughts of what would happen if his father failed to bring her back. He stopped, his eyes falling to the bottle of whiskey set on the counter. He grabbed the bottle and chucked it violently against the wall. 

The sun had set by the time his father returned, Charles pushed past his father through the door, excitement building as he expected to see his mother again. A hand on his shoulder stopped him, his eyes finally looking up to his father’s face, his eyes unfocused and sad. Charles shrugged out from his father’s hand, pushing back into the house. He was drunk. Again.

He grabbed his coat, turning and storming out of the house, a hand catching his wrist as he crossed the threshold, roughly yanking him back into the house and throwing him to the floor. Anger flared through him as he scrambled to his feet.

“ _WHERE IS SHE_? You promised!” Charles hissed, his eyes rimmed with tears.

“No one has seen her, I asked throughout town--” Charles cut him off.

“At the saloon I’m sure.” His eyes narrowed.

“Charles, she isn’t there. I will check the woods tomorrow, we will find her. I promise!” William moved closer to his son his hand out to comfort him.

“We can go now, search together!” Charles pushed his father’s hand away, his eyes pleading. William’s shoulders slumped, he sighed and shrugging out of his coat and moving to the kitchen to prepare some food for their dinner.

“In the morning, at first light. I promise.” 

“But--”

“I won’t discuss it more.” Charles huffed, turning and storming toward the bedroom.

The sunlight filtered through the trees casting long beams of light in the morning fog. They worked their way through the trees scanning for traces of Haiwee’s trail. Charles slowed when he came upon a set of hoof prints in the soft earth, following them along they turned suddenly, the tracks deepening as the horse turned and took off at a much faster pace.

“I found something!” Charles shouted to his father. William turned back toward Charles, a glint catching his eye as he turned. 

“Me too…” He turned his attention to the glint, the butt of the repeater stuck out from the turned earth. He dropped down, pulling the gun from the dirt, his eyes catching the light footprints in the soft earth.

Charles followed the tracks as they lead closer to where his father had dropped onto his haunches. The tracks were joined by a second set of hooves as he neared his father.

“There are more, they were following something.” Charles continued to follow the tracks, looking up to see his father standing there, something in his hands. He closed the distance his eyes widening as he recognizes the item his father held. His eyes darting to look for any sign from her, his eyes landing on the light footprints. “She was here!” He turned to his father, still frozen in place, the gun in his hands.

“You said there were two sets of hooves?” William ripped his eyes away from the repeater in his hand, looking down at Charles already following the small footprints deeper into the woods. He stopped, turning around seeing his father’s sad eyes piecing together the story. William blinked back the tears, his eyes falling to his son. 

They stood in silence, tears silently streamed down Charles’s face. The realization that he would never see his mother again broke him and he fell to his knees. They stayed there in the woods for a while, each mourning the loss on their own.

 

\---

Charles turned to face her, he let out a sigh. She had stopped just outside the shop door unsure if she should move closer to him.

“No, I overreacted. For that, I’m sorry. You couldn’t have possibly known what happened after we got separated.” She stepped closer to him.

“I really am sorry. Your mother was my friend. After the army pushed us west we thought your family had decided to move on. It had been something your mother had talked about for months, that you were planning on moving east. I guess I just assumed you all finally had.” She paused, a pained smile crossed her face. “It hurt. I was mad for so long, thinking my best friend left without even a goodbye.” 

Tears welled in her eyes and Charles felt for her, the pain of not knowing was all too familiar. He moved to her, his eyes softened and he sighed.

“After she disappeared my father took it really hard. It destroyed him. It destroyed our family. When I got older, I tried to find her. Find out what happened. I asked the wolf for help.” Her brow furrowed at his mention of the wolf. “I found nothing. I think it’s the not knowing that made it so much harder. I think that is the thing that really broke my father.”

“You talk to your wolf?” She asked hesitantly. 

“I was desperate, young. I knew that it was a risk, but if it meant finding my mother, I would have done anything.” His eyes locked with hers, begging her to understand. 

“Good. The wolf lies, tells you what you want to hear. Anything for you to give it control.” Her eyes grew colder. His wolf growled lowly.

 **Ignorance. Tradition built on fear.**  

Charles hushed the wolf. He sympathized with them both, but perhaps she could still help them.

_They believe in the old ways, same as I was taught, a way of thinking built on fear as you say. I see that now, but she may have more information on the half shift, any information can be helpful. Maybe she is open to a new way of thinking?_

The wolf grumbled.

**Too old. Set in her ways.**

“I’ve heard of those who have found a way to form a partnership with their wolves. Capable of things never seen before by our people. Half shifts and shifts at will.” Charles let the statement hang, watching her carefully.

“Impossible. Half shift.” She spit in disgust. “The idea of sharing your consciousness with the beast. You risk losing yourself, risk going feral.” The wolf’s growl rippled through him.

**Feral.**

The anger bubbled in his core. He had been taught that giving them wolf control risked going feral, but he had never seen it happen. Her answers worried him. Could Arthur be risking going feral?

“Have you ever known someone to go feral? I-I mean, are there signs?” His eyes flicked up to hers. Her expression softened momentarily before the fire returned to her eyes.

“No.”

Charles placed his hand on her shoulder, the fire dying from her eyes as her eyes met his. The door to the shop opened and the shopkeeper appeared in the doorway. 

“Your order is ready ma’am, need help loading it up?” The shopkeeper lingered, his eyes on Charles.

She dragged her eyes from Charles to the shopkeeper, a kind smile covered the pain in her eyes as she spoke.

“I will be alright, Charles here will help me get everything packed up.” Her eyes flicked back to him as he dropped his hand back to his side and he nodded. The shopkeeper continued to linger, his eyes still on Charles.

“Alright ma’am, if there is anything else you need you let me know.” He turned and slowly walked back inside, the door closing behind him. Charles turned quietly and followed him inside to grab the order. 

“I don’t know what you two was arguing about, but I seen your face now.” The warning wasn’t lost on Charles and he nodded. The shopkeeper pushed a crate with her supplies across the counter. “The rest is out back, you should pull the wagon around.” Charles grabbed the crate and headed back out the door. 

“He says the rest if round back, where is your wagon.” 

“Charles, wait.” He handed her the small crate, moving toward the street to look for the wagon.

“Kimama, I understand. We don’t have to talk about it.” Charles offered a small smile. He knew that look in her eyes, the pain there not yet healed over. She had offered him enough, the stories of those going feral were true, but there is always another side. The sadness returned to her eyes at his dismissal.  

“The wagon is just over here.” She turned and headed down the street toward the post office.


End file.
